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 8472197 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 86327211 epoch_slot_no: 186411 block_no: 8472020 slot_leader_id: 5040184 size: 263 time: 2023-03-04 01:31:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x04a8a1fb88f17bb7ed8e0ee6b7fb106cf29fcb1db7881daf62034110c38cdf06Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168c2p7uhdeq7j96lhcqqekfzmftr6wm2ml089v3y06kekxl2d8rqf56d2x op_cert: \xd86dbd314e889ebf5b81d528aafd591efbe0464293e36c58063cbf53a2b9b6d7 op_cert_counter: 16