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 8456878 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86014896 epoch_slot_no: 306096 block_no: 8456701 slot_leader_id: 4703309 size: 55235 time: 2023-02-28 10:46:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf37dae30e46b53339ef8bedeacf9ccdb53aa6be8aadd400aec758790ed43cbeaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a5mrg02vaynyt8zl3ccet2wzj03j285n5jmz86d00gw29yvf4upsyuhl53 op_cert: \xa3fab187957ce8956d73b56c9b3ea5c95d38aef40bece67cbd853e2057cdf810 op_cert_counter: 12