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 8408721 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 85025041 epoch_slot_no: 180241 block_no: 8408544 slot_leader_id: 4567800 size: 11838 time: 2023-02-16 23:48:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9141d4de6f328e1d3d244648662c2ff25b2fafb2cec942af35bdcaeccd959a6eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a65uc2c99r8eqm7jhs7v2aspr6k4nuppyqmk8n8rgntf5p0ejupqq3w5ek op_cert: \x448643d777b3041da28d75f93abd20b83cc218e2453b5320457dafb6779eba7f op_cert_counter: 11