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 8542862 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 87776800 epoch_slot_no: 340000 block_no: 8542685 slot_leader_id: 7123775 size: 69049 time: 2023-03-20 20:11:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x09672c254e4a623d560a4f76f61fc90ff982f3c145a0b4d61ff7517d33a9b49bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk174uxsgpss9he2jvxrpyzp9gzmduj3446vnfuyy44dsl8xkh7rfcs03zfya op_cert: \xb732dd918a783294a13642b28f78520a01a72456717109db0513f6536fa95ba3 op_cert_counter: 10