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 8538704 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87690861 epoch_slot_no: 254061 block_no: 8538527 slot_leader_id: 4555569 size: 9058 time: 2023-03-19 20:19:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6f7f9b8a4b3e9ee53c54990056bdf2bb46f52515d465a4ba33c5b4dd505e47bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c49e80jptd8pkmgrj8g3xex3rfd0xw0xwp88c3fpz9jjcmfu7xtswwzll8 op_cert: \x73c55b661cbe79f41c356a61ec57a393c87c892e78cba9340df9e2accb9ad1a7 op_cert_counter: 15