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 8742398 Details
Epoch: 410 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 91888127 epoch_slot_no: 131327 block_no: 8742221 slot_leader_id: 6906417 size: 19041 time: 2023-05-07 10:13:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf4dd06d004e1e5859839b6346b546fbd6ae17c5c224e387d2e881f0b396a379cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12xpaqdd8lpt9suu6pvf0cvgw5cmrxw0us65wt043dn4gfqgrp6jqklldnq op_cert: \x8aa5cc908851a7092f3490ac8b619ba1a32e033c4fdc5cae85cd992811ba58f9 op_cert_counter: 4