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 8540021 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87718348 epoch_slot_no: 281548 block_no: 8539844 slot_leader_id: 5307512 size: 23476 time: 2023-03-20 03:57:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4d11d7af9150c9419d01a9fcfe3c59a1f0ac40e936794eaa0b1466ba6ab17c4dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kdf79qu6ghteg9d570mqjqh5c64xczq4pyp2qrpmx7k2care2g6srta8dp op_cert: \x96ebe445919f1cc1224972a8bc58662f5c938636c5a74f6b39928d62994308cd op_cert_counter: 10