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 8409493 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 85042209 epoch_slot_no: 197409 block_no: 8409316 slot_leader_id: 4559083 size: 50592 time: 2023-02-17 04:35:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3181fb30f06342a8d6a316a1eb555bacddfac2e3679616bc8fc6feb8c166d4c0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kkm2ddusu6fx76ag2cj44te7k5vjejqvq0hwcarfe5lkgdzt47ms4h9tp2 op_cert: \x4455c0db1477b8e841825aaeb2ceabd9c05d441667fccdc065f9e91542d0bf73 op_cert_counter: 13