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 8416698 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 85189762 epoch_slot_no: 344962 block_no: 8416521 slot_leader_id: 5063871 size: 88006 time: 2023-02-18 21:34:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x280ee8f982fdda329acc02ab063cede76152c4556af1bdb41582fd559799a70cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mdxcjxdlm93490zkfta02ggty5ag6rdjjvqcyseft86jnh06ev3q3l2w70 op_cert: \x09440bf30814e21bdb61362f272d483ad4f521f3ec36638edcbc8c5a76ea9679 op_cert_counter: 9