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 8472974 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86343393 epoch_slot_no: 202593 block_no: 8472797 slot_leader_id: 7630734 size: 31427 time: 2023-03-04 06:01:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbf647c8309a3ffa57d225a253cc0ca1dd5a9b63adfac971d31c799493df6938aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vengp9qs27hzmq3xmcld0cxula4tjmx0ezuylt8pakxfvfvrtw7sjyfeep op_cert: \x7ad0bf1b7e0139b909d0223bce9b5aec9c972f4252b6e321ece3d9a34e2ab4dd op_cert_counter: 2