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 8442617 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 85722263 epoch_slot_no: 13463 block_no: 8442440 slot_leader_id: 4572500 size: 42089 time: 2023-02-25 01:29:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdef28ab54c142ecdf46cb7ccd987508cd1736361520c8405e2cfc1967c94d3caBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y38euw8lsxtcgplzp32ka6ya34sreum76cs6zq7sj649gnk7q7wqtrxyln op_cert: \xcba4f9e2ba0f5d7c5b033e6532e2b2cdd536001ee4a8a0f4723d53d2e99800b0 op_cert_counter: 20