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 8542266 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 87764710 epoch_slot_no: 327910 block_no: 8542089 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 30007 time: 2023-03-20 16:50:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xad98694cfbd02a1db03e6c1b3fa52a7f7b0d94acf3aab287143e9f52d140ebf6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \xfa3b48fae329a9c4f4d39adc725e11f1beef750bdd8d02e27f1b8f27f3c51af1 op_cert_counter: 13