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 8540639 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 87731566 epoch_slot_no: 294766 block_no: 8540462 slot_leader_id: 7257008 size: 17402 time: 2023-03-20 07:37:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcdc5c0979ab35ac864934f50256be91d6540fdb73a3bedc0f904e02546aade5aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r9u9cvkhg5h4mps0la87c6qvcupfa0upzqhs6m4mnvtx9h9kc0aqraxhea op_cert: \x3f2be1b77118b8192ebb047f80241150fe54748926bc044b3d9f4725d68bfb02 op_cert_counter: 1659973701