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 8540046 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 87718685 epoch_slot_no: 281885 block_no: 8539869 slot_leader_id: 5781382 size: 28762 time: 2023-03-20 04:02:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0e2b90853e89fdf0f25648dfe637e428325bcbb43905885acab32d4570009f3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xkpyzaywav9g2yjuszf8pgg946pwyc89hucflcl49hdrkpjv86sse4un6s op_cert: \x29203bb2ee90411f6e51266c0e13a5a4fe9d51a778b7f67b235a3a76b2ec2143 op_cert_counter: 9