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 8542405 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 87767605 epoch_slot_no: 330805 block_no: 8542228 slot_leader_id: 7376848 size: 78388 time: 2023-03-20 17:38:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x390f055c6b0164b56d2eaecfd30ed50dc9bf909aa017056e77d6b1c0c1532e9dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wvgsal8szs0drj58qp53g0kket0gsme990l76t4pkyc3gaj6ckhsalx58h op_cert: \x538b31fd10488ffe406cfdbe91b6c7783e1c0b295a22769c882faceeab37d118 op_cert_counter: 1659975478