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 8540122 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87720051 epoch_slot_no: 283251 block_no: 8539945 slot_leader_id: 5222353 size: 11955 time: 2023-03-20 04:25:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5cff3bd5bac79e7a3cfa26a51adbf20c88015fee560b67fc52c52b1f19d5ecbeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cf6pcjgkyrunmcqzeqknezm4q962z0gntxtzv7rdz28r2crfpcxq677gat op_cert: \x47b436ca102ab4c6295f51dec1b67128169de5533d9552a190a76d9e90049ef9 op_cert_counter: 10