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 8431286 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 85494482 epoch_slot_no: 217682 block_no: 8431109 slot_leader_id: 6664499 size: 32499 time: 2023-02-22 10:12:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x62029bb0e6d59446a454f342b8ec9669063d24ef924b923e5fcdb25dbc4c11ddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xr90dczhwt7s3k6g42tn3k2yrrlqmf2craqm9exc64dpaudeaylqz6gk66 op_cert: \xa7504bef4269f283b6d24a5e32071fc66b7994988bde25eccf3ef3a503135385 op_cert_counter: 5