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 8548136 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 87885340 epoch_slot_no: 16540 block_no: 8547959 slot_leader_id: 4591434 size: 70891 time: 2023-03-22 02:20:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x588d8c3c6aebb075b87629b7e80d9da27eaff9a6af4b3e124bfef25e0540e8d1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15l5xndch25p7uvtarv7dyagh4zgkvk5yzzndttv99sswhn7umfcqe2xv0h op_cert: \xa34b46b5808e50ebb8522c8b065de1744a98ab424f9ac237e5dbf169810597a8 op_cert_counter: 12