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 8538977 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 87696720 epoch_slot_no: 259920 block_no: 8538800 slot_leader_id: 5086944 size: 14324 time: 2023-03-19 21:56:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbe5af0fa3439112ca0c3a29b2c79469c6a32a9f523e1694e7eddde7eb20ba088Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yrw00a2knfxwg6ju5fqu4pqnxkc4uedn35u43y3mcgm9m99s626qgugm8p op_cert: \x561ea3561beae213c4ab4ac0a4265afba78460ada3e3e56cd5f6f3b3a026843a op_cert_counter: 14