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 8540263 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 87723202 epoch_slot_no: 286402 block_no: 8540086 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 87831 time: 2023-03-20 05:18:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x98dada6a7ecf58e3ad6c700b6f2e86ab58ed06e19818f51f953727ab47f95f85Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x8a70324a48d8ba2339390896e61441ebf177cd5bcac2aabeed88eef3d22c69b8 op_cert_counter: 15