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 8538489 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 87686576 epoch_slot_no: 249776 block_no: 8538312 slot_leader_id: 6558340 size: 80206 time: 2023-03-19 19:07:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x01e74cf6c2ea956a09d77b3bbf95d596d63ef788f2a2876bdb9b07ff8b8ca5f7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14ntfzwghmk9d6sed5qhwx3l8ed7l0rl87alsr9x2kdva84m0fc5sz48l04 op_cert: \xeb9d7175157324ae2cd871978eea0a24d7cb572333df7c0b03d8dc66e4945c2e op_cert_counter: 7