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 8549057 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87905407 epoch_slot_no: 36607 block_no: 8548880 slot_leader_id: 4569197 size: 27769 time: 2023-03-22 07:54:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe41c2f18144f8c286ea829732a279102716a5792d6e3bbc88bced5930103bffcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fu2vy36f5je5nz9qex83agkxqcs29kfwdty63hdm0vgwdzm2hvpqea7zl7 op_cert: \xf885c53bb3f0d71c65aec9b9b186d6b60226fbffd7595578cdef3346c4a35476 op_cert_counter: 12