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 8542861 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 35 slot_no: 87776768 epoch_slot_no: 339968 block_no: 8542684 slot_leader_id: 6385290 size: 85600 time: 2023-03-20 20:10:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x98407f006aa88c72dd6207b31df98909c1c339072f3a77305ef8a7f9c06037d6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kwhduezvew8pa7zd6hl4ecrsmxy57jw6ryxpu04d54ewvvu66nnsemgwjt op_cert: \x166eab65b291fb26321669812dd9b5dca8b08fec6be76420893f0eda66653c18 op_cert_counter: 11