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 8396971 Details
Epoch: 393 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 84776002 epoch_slot_no: 363202 block_no: 8396794 slot_leader_id: 4733300 size: 31643 time: 2023-02-14 02:38:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x40dec38a91318e92156cb5edd39111ceb61c163cdce7468960afa1be9f2f42c5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u8fpzrhfmyayq9vk3jsp32mklcszs9q8lhuaxlgspr8t4wqdkfys76vdcq op_cert: \xcfe623980ca09a5983570159389ee46a7209f20e92d71233a1f3b744d1c1d382 op_cert_counter: 6