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 8358686 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 83973884 epoch_slot_no: 425084 block_no: 8358509 slot_leader_id: 4985325 size: 17160 time: 2023-02-04 19:49:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ba57ee56832aaa11b04aa6d0d4c8f17be969d02aac9292e9dab42989d6ffec8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk104ph0tayutj52je952fk2wrwa88qn4d4989wf79a44zdmyswj6hs47wg25 op_cert: \xd0f61dd29be7ee59594eb2b44c10b5600ef728218de6b6d50610e678abf98de6 op_cert_counter: 11