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 8474598 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 86376665 epoch_slot_no: 235865 block_no: 8474421 slot_leader_id: 4624978 size: 84726 time: 2023-03-04 15:15:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8c180241fea4753e2be55ceac0d468322b6cdaf747280a9fe1bc6cc6fddcc082Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16un5trthq4l4fkfk076vcknwz9y4ftnqfzhwdz7u5rjwqay4c74q72h8lh op_cert: \x233c6c9ce08b9993b2a705228a7574d942a9cd6f34e95269ebc9f66ae46e29d5 op_cert_counter: 12