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 8436442 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 85598281 epoch_slot_no: 321481 block_no: 8436265 slot_leader_id: 7903459 size: 80609 time: 2023-02-23 15:02:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc345f9c4a0bf9a685a9e747c49ef0285ec548eea808cce6f73d0a0c93b33fdd8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z7jkgvsrrxj34y6w87qgqnuy5r2yennekn5pqzza0k7g2ux6mj3s3c5th5 op_cert: \x46eed2e5026549dad48b9807d0a4ae87ec1edde43fce63c25e4d37e9f20a929a op_cert_counter: 2