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 8408538 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 85021593 epoch_slot_no: 176793 block_no: 8408361 slot_leader_id: 5722985 size: 25521 time: 2023-02-16 22:51:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf40daa49fe8521b6ceed134a8db232b07425bf32e07fde116e3d3aa9d3a3d34bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jf88wcnx74jxv2q64ftaqrzjr4a5gnmcyardhmln0ts8lsru4gqqur2yj0 op_cert: \xa11c0a82763a094550044c34f52cfbd63c04bee9dae30ebd6c9a95539604fc5b op_cert_counter: 11