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 8538434 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 87685416 epoch_slot_no: 248616 block_no: 8538257 slot_leader_id: 7047398 size: 42443 time: 2023-03-19 18:48:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x19b61a397bfd58c27e5b461cdf9bdf4895d705411f5f9bd7f7c08041ac980c58Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18jk9z47znwq3zhtenadn9gehtmjns7jv5npj4ccdqy49yq7v306seaatt5 op_cert: \xbd08d2992d21160220c05e40c7057c6fda6c9cda7b74e4ed5b4251ba78b03894 op_cert_counter: 1659972713