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 8540835 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 87735528 epoch_slot_no: 298728 block_no: 8540658 slot_leader_id: 5493217 size: 18345 time: 2023-03-20 08:43:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc04bdb5c9d32be3c766a7a38f2209a7604cc7a8734b378ef50990f909e587b2fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cakf4klps5d980wm8657zsmnen8rcwvka0nn3ug0eg0fj2ym4chqvn04ed op_cert: \x09afdfd76092ebd5275cb0b2b2caf273cb762f51d1fafd368004f516228eb6fe op_cert_counter: 8