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 8542743 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 87774774 epoch_slot_no: 337974 block_no: 8542566 slot_leader_id: 5409679 size: 52794 time: 2023-03-20 19:37:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf531ae64f348036f84ea41863738ce1bd63f712ec62cbd7b96ebacc13f8e805cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk100ss4vjhffrk6sag0pl3rkpppqk952tuk9zng3jecd48t8annsaqzrd7qr op_cert: \x27155cfbfca199fa1fd87c64eacacfb4c7a6eb2c33e0a5f933304b89a2160cda op_cert_counter: 12