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 8540671 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 87732170 epoch_slot_no: 295370 block_no: 8540494 slot_leader_id: 4594429 size: 48351 time: 2023-03-20 07:47:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf7c1100d0ebdda1f658db94be8f601f9971717563b6d382af2a34b205f04488dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10lhmh865dzrfraz0l4ajrergmsdsdl4mmfvqthlu3jdhf0c7fgnsc40dt3 op_cert: \xa9ca187e124ce2920232c0308b16c31315cc55de638a836e841508203f11e5f7 op_cert_counter: 11