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 8440586 Details
Epoch: 395 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 85680771 epoch_slot_no: 403971 block_no: 8440409 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 26551 time: 2023-02-24 13:57:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x40cae85aeae4370522f520403dd301f7c325bbf394d174ef157c787f3bb6e073Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \x9a5cc96190af4f38efe6a2bee8d148b81fe6addc87f0bce3418efa0ca47eddeb op_cert_counter: 14