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 8458614 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86049740 epoch_slot_no: 340940 block_no: 8458437 slot_leader_id: 8239672 size: 87702 time: 2023-02-28 20:27:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7dfc4f69ba3f98024525787487977fb6714507faa8a23320d11e4cc6428f29daBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1q8s84tqk8g554m45vf6g3m2cqz84rlqsgy8k0wzg3dxyewsk7rjqqxvmm5 op_cert: \xdf88531ef7482ebfc0f72c129034651eff1fec6459fbb52d0ae80a60f1e76880 op_cert_counter: 1