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 8438501 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 85639424 epoch_slot_no: 362624 block_no: 8438324 slot_leader_id: 6489525 size: 20644 time: 2023-02-24 02:28:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xeb266854924dabdaf2c74955d623d280eedf9559d415fa2a38db2ffc26fb47f6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nss5ylmxgtnu0n6ll2t2fd04gfehnm40f743rlexcvaplqdujnrq48d646 op_cert: \x4cafb33545c1a7d9a35ad06b1a72104458024e782c4fb1cf31ba7515357281f4 op_cert_counter: 16