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 8538656 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87689710 epoch_slot_no: 252910 block_no: 8538479 slot_leader_id: 5386015 size: 15177 time: 2023-03-19 20:00:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1eef906944535eabe0d8b91f1930f62769da23d747f8c05f4c17ea16280e1601Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19rxk9w50ts57vyanf938ha2vf097mlutpmv5pkqwuz7gkvs05vtss3pren op_cert: \x629db17328db604889f807b5f0e7448f6e919ce8df4771bb423c0e175752acd2 op_cert_counter: 10