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 8458671 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86050959 epoch_slot_no: 342159 block_no: 8458494 slot_leader_id: 4604187 size: 4928 time: 2023-02-28 20:47:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe018fe32164f6af727d679dea6e666178d322388f56a3202b9397c32d77c48e5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lswc67jaawzyyq3qpzmvzrkkpwddwtvuu93dtxawttd09gxds4ls2zpsj9 op_cert: \x696099771fe75196a60253d20d5a6be3c43550a9f4b2806567f1f48c0df7ad0b op_cert_counter: 12