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 8478317 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86452862 epoch_slot_no: 312062 block_no: 8478140 slot_leader_id: 4573799 size: 86139 time: 2023-03-05 12:25:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe72c706e490ec30e24cd493e7b84deffed9b7c75c585fe51d549f7963917f589Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p0r0r8enaa9fv40zc0hm9q92lpwd4glg2lgm7tg67zxaf5v075ssg8328n op_cert: \x4b2252d7264c390761847f04fc5158af6e057d873cba40c3aa036ea219d4e0a7 op_cert_counter: 11