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 8438497 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 85639375 epoch_slot_no: 362575 block_no: 8438320 slot_leader_id: 6864063 size: 18543 time: 2023-02-24 02:27:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xac858a89173655472b0a6db8d89bc31ece33d48f44eb1e066802ca76a4ffcdbaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16qeqezkenfyhfy9jku0ynuvl3wrmuwdhym98nud5t6j6tu6chamq64vuy5 op_cert: \xb062ad70e40db3bc5430d97295b71620cfdb2c80bb6089b89bb13a1bfa8ac700 op_cert_counter: 5