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 8540719 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 87732951 epoch_slot_no: 296151 block_no: 8540542 slot_leader_id: 5431536 size: 13104 time: 2023-03-20 08:00:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa3a040e287853148d5a297e3fe641a82791d50bf58303ffd74c639e69ad65b40Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16t52ke97yv5w82wn7aufxy09d02kv4gy8pzv207yun7klk8nc28se5xllf op_cert: \x2c9efb3f6334b0e1356d3c2ea5d7ce06395683fbb0523299a0127c9c5a9a97b2 op_cert_counter: 24