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 8540431 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 87726969 epoch_slot_no: 290169 block_no: 8540254 slot_leader_id: 7557874 size: 62766 time: 2023-03-20 06:21:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x248ae5258d45de70ae0be5a20e0a039d52c3135693083d31e51e631548d58e5fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nlwftd4xeuhg3vfha3ht4y3elsfrh9f2yp0k4uy5sx5luprgf55q724ndp op_cert: \x58f60812edc37713e8599284bb663c8b2b7dbfde0d519e6147f8d6c1a7eaa07b op_cert_counter: 4