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 8477168 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 86428563 epoch_slot_no: 287763 block_no: 8476991 slot_leader_id: 7231972 size: 57726 time: 2023-03-05 05:40:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa697b20e49d869d4cd2ce3f1aea32088960e195351abe8f950ced5df53a78f1aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ugya7fr6k6ra87377qfs0mwpcee8taq4sgzl9rhrn62xat4y6wcslrc7jp op_cert: \x2b332713b40285d865d4e23699a5abb6ea06ac0bd643add518864409a58ba2e6 op_cert_counter: 1659975167