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 8442338 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 85716520 epoch_slot_no: 7720 block_no: 8442161 slot_leader_id: 5568326 size: 72222 time: 2023-02-24 23:53:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x86695e33851f597e69245402749935406af07664aa70b79de146af1ac71f7ad9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uyetyme67x7j50t2lqm6kzdxqapxy4exg9dznjnq63mcl7fa5a8q494gez op_cert: \x024c4574151152c7bde4b5a0b0387b2163d0ecb7463d1cf2cea3239d10acab23 op_cert_counter: 8