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 8480040 Details
Epoch: 397 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 86488652 epoch_slot_no: 347852 block_no: 8479863 slot_leader_id: 7253610 size: 10397 time: 2023-03-05 22:22:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5f46f37dc52482b423f62c4acbdae7d867d91a82ceff6256c5bca6c6d339ff4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18flqf7njg78xasz4u9cq4satscejmqyed8xsgnmyv64dpc3juansldw4u0 op_cert: \x9a74a7d04cd75b78e41a567ead29e16d4b6b7d49972c134d00bf0d1bcf65f1ce op_cert_counter: 8