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 8466731 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86214359 epoch_slot_no: 73559 block_no: 8466554 slot_leader_id: 4837352 size: 22247 time: 2023-03-02 18:10:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x88e42fabdaf25d8aece106d86e9d2678cc8283cd28d5a74b0885c95527fbae9eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zym4yqetzqmt67453drnq2nj80mj8zauprne3atdrwu6ypt8ny5sf5pk3n op_cert: \xef37b639f718a0d5d8a8a9d605ad8c116f685157a52346aa8e1ed60f100d136c op_cert_counter: 14