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 8538658 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 87689728 epoch_slot_no: 252928 block_no: 8538481 slot_leader_id: 4572916 size: 24778 time: 2023-03-19 20:00:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e7712f4b525e58d1cbc769ed584c8139d8c7aa4039602e43257642a14a39473Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sh946l2qfxu5q8xu7sw3xmp07d4ph764frje3qm0p2wy6pu08u2qxwxfqw op_cert: \x22650aa4ceee1702a66c60cf2f5f28f72d86395c3630e894f5aac085bba366f3 op_cert_counter: 21