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 8542705 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 87773818 epoch_slot_no: 337018 block_no: 8542528 slot_leader_id: 7231972 size: 54186 time: 2023-03-20 19:21:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe7c3f7e145cc3867a7c684ba6e93abf7edf70518fa103f3a6920a96bcafdebc9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ugya7fr6k6ra87377qfs0mwpcee8taq4sgzl9rhrn62xat4y6wcslrc7jp op_cert: \x0616871e0a011a50b035e64f78649f3ae5e09145e4f0132fec5ea8bde20ad8b6 op_cert_counter: 1659975168