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 8438496 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 85639358 epoch_slot_no: 362558 block_no: 8438319 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 40645 time: 2023-02-24 02:27:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7c13216ce363fc67cffabe180b48633d4103afb9df449a1212a452e2b6ae688fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \xfe1ef254af803bb8b8f36fc2f36627e19d449140024f70dca67afbb706b69e41 op_cert_counter: 14