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 8478231 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86450898 epoch_slot_no: 310098 block_no: 8478054 slot_leader_id: 5492880 size: 29814 time: 2023-03-05 11:53:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfc398e3088dcc7e9edc47b19d99fc33d4c49c0a3d83a2ba8421074b6a4cfa009Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fr7hqvevhatry93cjyhwn2u8wg8e4my3tcmj6z9e60sszxxk2l8st646k2 op_cert: \xdbcb40778eb1451213a0b5f7f4d02472fd36f6622260fad5332fe585bc0fe140 op_cert_counter: 11