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 8542173 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 87762973 epoch_slot_no: 326173 block_no: 8541996 slot_leader_id: 7376579 size: 32913 time: 2023-03-20 16:21:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a02bd991be1fbc6e7ba98626f1e510e9117fb00f5050a5c6063d6eeec68cf63Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jrnkv44tm0xxpt63tflypqpfaja4e35zl6g249n9uk4pyp5nj8ast3rj04 op_cert: \xf12e96d020c023c16f34a7f2a9a0971dd9654374a2a628700fb2e9041cea0e04 op_cert_counter: 1659975396