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 8542458 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87768857 epoch_slot_no: 332057 block_no: 8542281 slot_leader_id: 7046496 size: 5557 time: 2023-03-20 17:59:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb256e43ab85a6f9ad9aa559470ef3f99cbedd8c78db6eb60b3551329503f672eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yv9nrq4wg4x8lww755wtmlx3z764jm7ur8efmgur9mgpfe6hayyq5vcf6g op_cert: \x7a6d280fa302e39a322dca1c222c13a017d80b14e385de5ba350afcab4c75f66 op_cert_counter: 1659973422