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 8540231 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 87722258 epoch_slot_no: 285458 block_no: 8540054 slot_leader_id: 8048683 size: 44440 time: 2023-03-20 05:02:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xffd5b9025a81c979c818cd86134a62c11ca1b8409c61737a443ad404680e0ed4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cr08r7dmxk2r2whzzpzmrlmw83qm0ma02rfhcw7jnejaplwxknzqtm5jrd op_cert: \x75996978875c991effe74a19f6c2388385464ac460b99851edb2f7124c0c3125 op_cert_counter: 2