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 8540716 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87732927 epoch_slot_no: 296127 block_no: 8540539 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 10300 time: 2023-03-20 08:00:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x049a24d6d44ae55714f07ff30bd353a02cecb941e4c954f537ab24169128f202Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \xb81ec1a011ad21280b5c28e7809b90f155bf8fe6e1da6a6b76096265196eab94 op_cert_counter: 11