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 8457612 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 86029078 epoch_slot_no: 320278 block_no: 8457435 slot_leader_id: 5951088 size: 16395 time: 2023-02-28 14:42:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x04166c68ba17b93162c930eda6df2525acb59d99906a3771d40ae890d4716b6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10z0vn2w3mfrwfh0tpnst6m9mraspqfvrhf5ejpup7hxv707kjrhqwgdzny op_cert: \x5f94a184843ec3ca2b894e8ab20e892a29a7c4df9b40844228ce28705c6204fc op_cert_counter: 7