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 8542740 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87774746 epoch_slot_no: 337946 block_no: 8542563 slot_leader_id: 5279875 size: 27352 time: 2023-03-20 19:37:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9af196961b08e602d3df7afb70e36eb4d3876cd6bb694c425b4b5b7e8c128c12Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18r9d7kj9ysxxfzkpwgt0d3s92zvzx3vkxmnk6s0clkmh5nswy72sekwyeh op_cert: \x0009f1a4c36b9e677cc6cf9381e7591fbda7628fa78f079e9d75e0cc30bbdfad op_cert_counter: 9