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 8436259 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 85594939 epoch_slot_no: 318139 block_no: 8436082 slot_leader_id: 7257008 size: 36751 time: 2023-02-23 14:07:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46136f3a6247e9fa1d7407a2d7e1f3a47506e0d190be91deb49faec6f3bdd42bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r9u9cvkhg5h4mps0la87c6qvcupfa0upzqhs6m4mnvtx9h9kc0aqraxhea op_cert: \x3f2be1b77118b8192ebb047f80241150fe54748926bc044b3d9f4725d68bfb02 op_cert_counter: 1659973701