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 8462874 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 86136229 epoch_slot_no: 427429 block_no: 8462697 slot_leader_id: 5094299 size: 29365 time: 2023-03-01 20:28:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf2438491aebfc26a37bee0afaf6956cb7499398cce5586b6ce46ab82f3a5d5eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dp6u0vcx693plp3dg4agltuntrzn2fyt75mfcgc83w5aguu0gexs3mxmm2 op_cert: \xf9c0aab1442c611c76ecdf379604258208055c008cc4156796dff008f5726a0f op_cert_counter: 11