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 8442406 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 85717849 epoch_slot_no: 9049 block_no: 8442229 slot_leader_id: 7377133 size: 30382 time: 2023-02-25 00:15:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x91072c43b3638b2e7e58c8c7e2bac2518441ee28e1d1bc366440aabf63d0975bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk188asaskvx9u7ahe0r767ye9mc7hqvxurmf4hcqwvsf5stfkt85mqk6d4px op_cert: \xf96f1d04f95c487c9fb0a0855f061fd1cb41f4627d669f2effe06737635ef415 op_cert_counter: 5