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 8402871 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 84897940 epoch_slot_no: 53140 block_no: 8402694 slot_leader_id: 5812343 size: 11335 time: 2023-02-15 12:30:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8be5de471ec338a534c31d15d90c1152959e4d23ffb2e930b3922adc16eeb6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13efc4umlv6xpqrcpaaxqrt5hstqh620jgwusje55jvgskey953lqy58cx3 op_cert: \x2e8553f26c1b11c8267af52c86e5abe0ec899f7da6ad0a27795e26b3bee2ed0d op_cert_counter: 6