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 8542865 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 87776844 epoch_slot_no: 340044 block_no: 8542688 slot_leader_id: 5533443 size: 59689 time: 2023-03-20 20:12:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x694864f3dac419873050ef4e4c988e432106802d275e29045c263a09918eb959Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dsrd605cg9tsq47xe94nhymk3jpen4wgccxw2thwzj6q86u9wc6qlu736t op_cert: \x34fa5f122c8cfe94b97f4a35e31eedf01ab26129ea598b7a1515c8e144eed868 op_cert_counter: 10