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 8417438 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 85204562 epoch_slot_no: 359762 block_no: 8417261 slot_leader_id: 4635124 size: 52677 time: 2023-02-19 01:40:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x38b691cacc94f3fe7850181266403a55990c6d4988f092998b53b5e11a5a632cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18wylyatfcj0nresevgkqq258r2qsjlc8fgq32p768wssvf4xynkql6cka0 op_cert: \xd072edf4c65c4e79e8dd534d429b42ee878a7f6caf326f6fa521270e5bb901f5 op_cert_counter: 16