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 8542671 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 87773087 epoch_slot_no: 336287 block_no: 8542494 slot_leader_id: 4613979 size: 26392 time: 2023-03-20 19:09:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa49049170c3ffbc99eda6baf52a6a1c79bf6639bd80a829147664b283b14c1a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1l0akqfhh0yddjx62j3pkf9h9xfpwdud0l907x6uxy7e6mujstxfsy0ac2w op_cert: \x509fe450a4b0b5a0d55aa79a39811bb6acd12d140737fa9565613a6fdbfb05ba op_cert_counter: 13