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 8549073 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87905680 epoch_slot_no: 36880 block_no: 8548896 slot_leader_id: 5386451 size: 19032 time: 2023-03-22 07:59:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x86e1153b48a2400b36d40d6a7c5cb65feedc6d6ebce62883068e0f00f8dd21a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj580fj2xsw0pgvcsxz7x30hgladhhnvmv0a6j5cc2xkh2zc4esvq44ev op_cert: \x0158fc58322efe6d20ba59ff0dfcc97b8978d31be4c1850f2af9f9f8f57065eb op_cert_counter: 9