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 8538574 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87688262 epoch_slot_no: 251462 block_no: 8538397 slot_leader_id: 5279179 size: 40371 time: 2023-03-19 19:35:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa1f9d77158281e59b2536e270253f63c829810398dec26b4d7fbb2abc05edd0fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16zch8u2wat0s425f6fedff7m5a68jhsjj56cazvks3kd46tgfhmq7wklph op_cert: \x9e84d3e3445f902962a861dfb22f40bcf394ab9dec5a1f8c6637b6b07f162e2d op_cert_counter: 10