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 8461218 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86103045 epoch_slot_no: 394245 block_no: 8461041 slot_leader_id: 7046511 size: 50958 time: 2023-03-01 11:15:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x996784a7c608c31d8b0febd803fb62de608bdae2f7a642a771afcfaa6a7be7c5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18n2p53sjjamukq6gevwckvym8fwrfrv037j669zwr33swsxyl7hstjqndu op_cert: \xc62f177c1524fdbc01d0d0ef700182313a9086960a0fe4bceafac7f771167b42 op_cert_counter: 1659973075