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 8405638 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 84958502 epoch_slot_no: 113702 block_no: 8405461 slot_leader_id: 6489664 size: 43374 time: 2023-02-16 05:19:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ecd962cddc7bf7205f7088c353ca20d5625e0f5769a5e0388d7aed3282a948aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p3gf22l43jqwjdv8zxx00kuvmxjp7rh0hrt876rp3a7r6vtjjpyq2cggc7 op_cert: \x124989212bb198f282e3da2b9e3d65318c96f7bf1754783eb7ff5b7d54d0e0f1 op_cert_counter: 5