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 8458551 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 86048487 epoch_slot_no: 339687 block_no: 8458374 slot_leader_id: 7729284 size: 39208 time: 2023-02-28 20:06:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68a8213376a03233bbd7a28e3ab9cf5d3e7705dd99df0d8bef5b581c6e48a6a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14w0zuu0957d4fumkhpzlpslut4plmqhk0ex3ltmcxsq73wd3dv2qws458s op_cert: \xc21a8eef7e56817db9a3d9c4e4d41fcd994229eea0305bee39c11165537f0d83 op_cert_counter: 13