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 8440516 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 85679366 epoch_slot_no: 402566 block_no: 8440339 slot_leader_id: 4558699 size: 81827 time: 2023-02-24 13:34:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a813f33eeeed859a76cda8ad3cd066657eef7a238244c08f04b8a0fdf014a66Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk175uwr938t2t7tru94pd0yflmpl7y32p8vf78ytq2rldna2lqmlksu4y5dk op_cert: \x5a7e254e1f0c597e6e22b4346799407ddebe8f869098baeafc6f941d09f96010 op_cert_counter: 12