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 8466574 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86210885 epoch_slot_no: 70085 block_no: 8466397 slot_leader_id: 7581727 size: 39393 time: 2023-03-02 17:12:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9cf2ad6fb228545e37b8b206e21befa3e6aec2738432bba3c01c4c888f0a45bfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18stcjdcu588hsmyhcpjq98vqwmw9ry3gamvyldv6rdwv75gfxflq82dh27 op_cert: \x367fede47c490e33fb04134c60ac5db985c4a584a0035f83b1b1a99cbef5f28c op_cert_counter: 2