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 8542243 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 87764294 epoch_slot_no: 327494 block_no: 8542066 slot_leader_id: 6985893 size: 42835 time: 2023-03-20 16:43:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xac08944ce37836703e89c9004521192e70a71907a0c78ed579cd323bca0ec0c4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qngzne283hwrc4xnk8f7psx5qhkg3pu7rdcu2nr0m2fwwlc23y2s52g7wk op_cert: \xf1493f7bab2f87c0b3a05771f83b5f1d3030985c768b0f87c42c41d042729668 op_cert_counter: 5