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 8543116 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 87782218 epoch_slot_no: 345418 block_no: 8542939 slot_leader_id: 4562285 size: 58278 time: 2023-03-20 21:41:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe9fd3cca77ad940cc1db4763a2e0d957ed0c47c8af81e68569af2cfe1bd61d05Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vxkyne4ftwjz4vlla756mlfqrmzwx35mkhk7d993njzmceksfp2q3kp8d4 op_cert: \x3e9197f7bc0e83ccc680080ab3e8bfcdf95492145e924454e71dba38864f74c3 op_cert_counter: 16