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 8538721 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 87691300 epoch_slot_no: 254500 block_no: 8538544 slot_leader_id: 4559683 size: 88830 time: 2023-03-19 20:26:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8af138281e95462584d049aa987fcfb585d23b8b72113bcd16135c2ee90d61ddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lzs68gd92uysvu04y23m62d6nwprqm5d2hjal9uwwe390wger3dqvgy23f op_cert: \x2a12cec770e8202f9720b49ce720e297d1a57c6f3a3e030fcddb4541fc6d9cca op_cert_counter: 14