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 8408618 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 85023144 epoch_slot_no: 178344 block_no: 8408441 slot_leader_id: 7376972 size: 48121 time: 2023-02-16 23:17:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x59df7ee8bc8a0e27d2d4d2e4719aa0a04ef94062d7c44c94bd545b055e367091Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qwrpx8sujdrfea30lh8uapmqtfle2u94eyuxj6g56h4sfumw90wsk7424w op_cert: \x1e56a643fd410fad43b7ed98283b01fffea4ba8f2bb34e011e2e635f0da3121d op_cert_counter: 1659975353