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 8408597 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 85022776 epoch_slot_no: 177976 block_no: 8408420 slot_leader_id: 5278927 size: 50573 time: 2023-02-16 23:11:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8d61f90fcd0b8d3eb37e4405403deb3a264b3e1a78c11dc82b3f17e046ccfe64Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lgcdfw2m3dnsfw8lp2kyp55rhhngd9dqlp3ku454wpk6fvdl9p6q8pz5ac op_cert: \xf9cf7eeb8b6e8ed39baf7b0fe3255be2410cf7163f03497ec7ded18050db10e3 op_cert_counter: 10