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 8442871 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 85728231 epoch_slot_no: 19431 block_no: 8442694 slot_leader_id: 4559781 size: 61994 time: 2023-02-25 03:08:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x23dba6a13ddcfe3fabeadb9a35c216d2df90621d8cb19b8b520e4329b9962185Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mepfv252axgj9nhhqpn4kp0qxkmu8pu0hkgj43aq6whk2vrmp2qse6tsnf op_cert: \xd5c398ce35a0cb8cd8fa29e6ff3fbc51482d2748810f7506621d6b850aefeba3 op_cert_counter: 12