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 8396473 Details
Epoch: 393 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 84766126 epoch_slot_no: 353326 block_no: 8396296 slot_leader_id: 5873516 size: 19706 time: 2023-02-13 23:53:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x41f4f838504142dcdef8669a9bd9870fdb361f2aca90687883d5d51f23b765aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17nk9vcmu2aqr6d6frzgg7umnd9eldemm6fye8warl47cnw7fkx5sjvxfmh op_cert: \xf9d535ca7282f46cfa890c1f6c946a0e84194812ffa8ed6a364db43a7e510887 op_cert_counter: 12