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 8538616 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 87689163 epoch_slot_no: 252363 block_no: 8538439 slot_leader_id: 5617977 size: 88560 time: 2023-03-19 19:50:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd488862db0080a7ff8b4780d3e0894cfc2d556b3423599dbd109e41d43cc162aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk107v0zlppu37tpfaf9h0heea3l9jzrxv6u2tp6ljy00kevsyqfq4qrtw8ae op_cert: \x8bca59bedbbd92479973186c15485ae48e772fce43b33ea93abcbda797ba05d6 op_cert_counter: 9