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 8540042 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87718622 epoch_slot_no: 281822 block_no: 8539865 slot_leader_id: 7046639 size: 21471 time: 2023-03-20 04:01:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31adc089d4030a23214827f705938952c1362d8657a252d8e2a4240d0758a3e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gsl5sexu0hn5qtyr76gt3s9uj76yfwkuxjj52gllml5vcfaq8ppsgezr5j op_cert: \x0136e2b836cb501332aa83780b4574fe39f63e72ad3c9bdc56eddf230488c400 op_cert_counter: 1659973234