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 8442868 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 85728177 epoch_slot_no: 19377 block_no: 8442691 slot_leader_id: 5023414 size: 88000 time: 2023-02-25 03:07:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe5f264ce3abd5bd15310d3af583cd1b4ffdab0590ff0287d354804aa67a1ac40Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h945kjjuye0rr2xdh663taxcqf5xm4wcm8rq2w7lcltp5cs7uacqytxhka op_cert: \x87eb4ffc375c36ba1e51c6f39a34d2f081c78ef0cae959eea400a7b75c2d8312 op_cert_counter: 8