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 8548661 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 87896482 epoch_slot_no: 27682 block_no: 8548484 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 12990 time: 2023-03-22 05:26:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x30fc5fc8378ccf07c3d2007fb4f1690f19b67e3d0fe32b93b610a4d9562b5ed9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x8a70324a48d8ba2339390896e61441ebf177cd5bcac2aabeed88eef3d22c69b8 op_cert_counter: 15