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 8424717 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 85358166 epoch_slot_no: 81366 block_no: 8424540 slot_leader_id: 4604187 size: 56443 time: 2023-02-20 20:20:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2898dbcad25ae23effdbb551d4870d3ff91ebf3a6fe98c2f6b07c11749d3a4caBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lswc67jaawzyyq3qpzmvzrkkpwddwtvuu93dtxawttd09gxds4ls2zpsj9 op_cert: \x696099771fe75196a60253d20d5a6be3c43550a9f4b2806567f1f48c0df7ad0b op_cert_counter: 12