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 8542568 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87770813 epoch_slot_no: 334013 block_no: 8542391 slot_leader_id: 4581814 size: 88369 time: 2023-03-20 18:31:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc0ad96c7581a104eabcc808292e5ea53f045b4b42f79126c8a8ede4bf0f3b285Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19lh256q7tyfsnlcrmjmyr306mz8aq0npunq5qpjuz2muh27n0y2sc4h50k op_cert: \x85d543b8b402ac1414618e39727821f34a1b2f60649b5df4b2c81841e310dacc op_cert_counter: 12