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 8408168 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 35 slot_no: 85013739 epoch_slot_no: 168939 block_no: 8407991 slot_leader_id: 4809597 size: 56002 time: 2023-02-16 20:40:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x15666f7c6e0bc2809f1bf599ef1fc64317444b482c26cc96be516f5b141cae0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tawdpfmgzkefrmg603n2cq047d5fj8cs0d4csce4xrxzzst444tsvwet66 op_cert: \x4be92d8bf7ed677538763bd98b8b645d7290b8053071163d42b6d60168c0e1b9 op_cert_counter: 11