A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8358663 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 83973426 epoch_slot_no: 424626 block_no: 8358486 slot_leader_id: 4679252 size: 53041 time: 2023-02-04 19:41:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x86dca810ca9419ca6c4213f09a97342d20e78eb7d61a85b8281fd840f1d2d56eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u3rp29td29q0txep3j7vvnk3jhpr7rwu8kqwfa34g8ukpqhgppcs8727xq op_cert: \xbbd11f7eb559f72ab1652e1e6b3048f53ce60a3f33f80e29e278a0f6d1c35cd3 op_cert_counter: 13