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 8542985 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 87779480 epoch_slot_no: 342680 block_no: 8542808 slot_leader_id: 5051184 size: 29509 time: 2023-03-20 20:56:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfc201d6afc4cdd82fb682f9627b1edc9b0b2b53bea326b4922cf99f6b69e919aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c0ra4syyv3px2nk45sayf2y99k2mu734tt6ldq22fn0u0sku02yqcp0ge4 op_cert: \x076755b97752855c132c578c473f9773cee5dece287023c87d89ee4d25804ff3 op_cert_counter: 11