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 8538697 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 87690779 epoch_slot_no: 253979 block_no: 8538520 slot_leader_id: 5723279 size: 88526 time: 2023-03-19 20:17:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x235dd234d1f443cb21ff009e9f8d02d49a89a7cafc2fbd7ab3d1ec23916fe2caBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y5zx5m4zy7gl3hveaw2zh059mrncpm4pmgnzn20yq997wr843m7qf44cjk op_cert: \x39c8fe02e7534ea2af8f74d2968119a1bca3ceadb9501902f352288a3fbcfe7d op_cert_counter: 10