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 8440498 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 85678998 epoch_slot_no: 402198 block_no: 8440321 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 66574 time: 2023-02-24 13:28:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x85d60c1ea5a633d73272bd5b3fd574a62782ac6ce8915480f7f6e259b44600f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x8b486c1c6aa26f5271f7d4e6e02d52e63f4a5a2dff03f891c86ea4a4da1dba0e op_cert_counter: 11