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 8474636 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86377485 epoch_slot_no: 236685 block_no: 8474459 slot_leader_id: 6037890 size: 31638 time: 2023-03-04 15:29:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa6053f3fd9ee9ebec623125f54fdd763fd3cae5a10b9dab48874809fe9c1a2aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yyttk60re4w0ddxr0dgee6r6lnjgt99h3pajjf2kefwrafqy8x7qtct24n op_cert: \xec04d754fada968d3c79d290552a4b8c738b84b934f021a3cf61ed772686a6b7 op_cert_counter: 9