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 8406355 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 84974508 epoch_slot_no: 129708 block_no: 8406178 slot_leader_id: 7148917 size: 50636 time: 2023-02-16 09:46:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3fc419d178e921207536dd929595146455756ec40bb65db4684326d0c4db6a7dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hezyed2tv7cyfwy8jmk7xqtkju2z4v2w6eec5zvympjg5ctgawcs3mllj8 op_cert: \x9d7429e765a7c02d1eeb044ba304ad7af90febce91edab118f3c72002326df03 op_cert_counter: 4