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 8408562 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 85022156 epoch_slot_no: 177356 block_no: 8408385 slot_leader_id: 5386015 size: 16258 time: 2023-02-16 23:00:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x91c896041184ba7fe8407504e50a76c3277e9ae06b02942c032e3b604725058aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19rxk9w50ts57vyanf938ha2vf097mlutpmv5pkqwuz7gkvs05vtss3pren op_cert: \x629db17328db604889f807b5f0e7448f6e919ce8df4771bb423c0e175752acd2 op_cert_counter: 9