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 8540052 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 87718763 epoch_slot_no: 281963 block_no: 8539875 slot_leader_id: 4960121 size: 26305 time: 2023-03-20 04:04:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x93a863d79e68d48f63f3f6fe87f415373e165dfc281a4614c8b6f787280660afBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cfgvfc8fxl43esu8evy9n6gj0nf48ve8464hsqy4t4c9e2qf3dqqx2976l op_cert: \xffc7bc298b6812f31decd9554b597e27b00a3dc5baffb164be592ba7b7d3c507 op_cert_counter: 13