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 8542398 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 87767446 epoch_slot_no: 330646 block_no: 8542221 slot_leader_id: 6448040 size: 77940 time: 2023-03-20 17:35:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xedabf183b85e1d7745b0719d19eb74332018832325c473e21a14964bd01670fdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d2aatk9g8w8nzfljceaq0mk7r9th93cg5ry06zxa73sxlrsvyz0s0q0zkz op_cert: \x960d571a7b1fc020b1d76fe50036611b5a7310df3341c3f3c72192eecd1c3db7 op_cert_counter: 9