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 8468373 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86248299 epoch_slot_no: 107499 block_no: 8468196 slot_leader_id: 4898788 size: 28804 time: 2023-03-03 03:36:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x189200e7401c3a161439b1bb75f3b592bf053b2a5a94a7be0db7d432b95f5ce2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15zvgmteq0qgwmelmhvjlwh483smhf2j06dscurg0gwp70t98fwcsc5v5k3 op_cert: \x655949777b0ae986c2ebb91c213b10063879ca823221eaa1c3aeb499a40f1ace op_cert_counter: 16