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 8542994 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 87779687 epoch_slot_no: 342887 block_no: 8542817 slot_leader_id: 4577075 size: 18603 time: 2023-03-20 20:59:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x544da6a091ded3bdea4de93084e854f222918a5430166f73b14033525d16f773Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g0u0sks02utexc0scc5ywlmr4jw2hw2dkgq69hhpg7drz4u38qssd0kn3w op_cert: \xa67835886e7df44485685dbce205adf02a29634e380fac22a0254d14a4343eb2 op_cert_counter: 26