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 8543036 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 87780471 epoch_slot_no: 343671 block_no: 8542859 slot_leader_id: 4556883 size: 39984 time: 2023-03-20 21:12:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72c8fba57bf4f52be4ad7e0b65309a8f66ba613eb51e3ac96b3ebfcc4f44a5b2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10hvpyxjva2rqrdwh6rfc764gkugu3u2ng0zyclajpdc9hzngay2q9tlnnz op_cert: \xef0e3c9b8cdb6ea7660270600c8d26adf09df0cee2b378bc6f679b684e4befcc op_cert_counter: 14