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 8417408 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 85203966 epoch_slot_no: 359166 block_no: 8417231 slot_leader_id: 5471731 size: 19430 time: 2023-02-19 01:30:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x948179d61ea7685d0cec9aaf7bf0894b9c2762fe3f685810a886b27e4ba00305Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xxqfg0zefcws6ahuexzncssy70003m2f9qttcczvndsr6n037dsqrmnv4m op_cert: \x8fb899e785cf9fdd4cea7835532b8bd518d3bcca56bf0fc4ca002da8ffd12e16 op_cert_counter: 17