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 8478617 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86458904 epoch_slot_no: 318104 block_no: 8478440 slot_leader_id: 5385987 size: 13926 time: 2023-03-05 14:06:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x54a020676006fd2846d74fc355599e58c637b6863440f5dad73131fb79cc492cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk170ymrwqcz6nxkvtd8wdm4quj9rejfca8hxu0gxyn9kedcg8se58qe4hxnc op_cert: \xb0403c3524ceca37328809b712f7073f8e47be1210d375d8276f374866f25039 op_cert_counter: 9