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 8478880 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86464562 epoch_slot_no: 323762 block_no: 8478703 slot_leader_id: 4703309 size: 39651 time: 2023-03-05 15:40:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x19491f48601f561b0656fef1aece5370eb039c74c5ad2e0eb5af8b13bdcdb36cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a5mrg02vaynyt8zl3ccet2wzj03j285n5jmz86d00gw29yvf4upsyuhl53 op_cert: \xa3fab187957ce8956d73b56c9b3ea5c95d38aef40bece67cbd853e2057cdf810 op_cert_counter: 12