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 8396657 Details
Epoch: 393 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 84769873 epoch_slot_no: 357073 block_no: 8396480 slot_leader_id: 5780101 size: 4900 time: 2023-02-14 00:56:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xefd9977539e271270530e51721358cceb05ca14c9f6b054dd816eb574e57818dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fgmzg2d8q52p3zegs4nnkce50rmud54aqm53djrpyfw5v7s233wq6yrz9z op_cert: \xe41a47a7158435b81629fc0de1913ae07f2277590a5d9dff9a3eec91c1a58090 op_cert_counter: 12