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 8442973 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 85730086 epoch_slot_no: 21286 block_no: 8442796 slot_leader_id: 4555974 size: 46163 time: 2023-02-25 03:39:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7125a72b2158f262df5f7729a6d86c5d79a144906b5e9a23356c37e3aa2eaf7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h6dppjvlwnetf76p4n09x5rc5cfh4atyyrxfhdy0azz4rcv4p2xqfuugd3 op_cert: \x0c0ed124376907094a7e1029f37622b6bd9f09de4de46a0d4869bef8d74de0dd op_cert_counter: 13