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 8538698 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 87690806 epoch_slot_no: 254006 block_no: 8538521 slot_leader_id: 4558946 size: 80528 time: 2023-03-19 20:18:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7a669abc34c45c59ad28c898fb0fc4566c75212bba72f851ac09c972d0bd5202Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pj8n7cv07gn4s83vnxgnh3l4m0uqunud2hfmn6d203v6gjvn6jfq9yanjy op_cert: \x98010ba25ab5bd18ff6181b1821ddd1d1ef2fc8a356252a9f854fff920f3d4d1 op_cert_counter: 11