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 8458740 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 86052268 epoch_slot_no: 343468 block_no: 8458563 slot_leader_id: 5766813 size: 88704 time: 2023-02-28 21:09:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb8360954b6a1e7ddfd1f4e6ae790d69fb72ef50e89fbee035519e5f1a5e0248cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12cty4y977sg3gha8xvfre7ajyf6hkgujelcfn3x8p0k3jc4qp0ns02j3n6 op_cert: \x611f7aef6a37bb7c1d93c5615644914160e4ce7721ca886a2b6a8acb1d17d72b op_cert_counter: 9