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 8549138 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87906808 epoch_slot_no: 38008 block_no: 8548961 slot_leader_id: 5449686 size: 69626 time: 2023-03-22 08:18:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf83cfc6c872a3b1e2682e93ee57551170e0aab667ddb37a41e5c1742f0c015aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gj7umwg80u3y9cl28zu9gcp4r9c55s7w3qpq2lmyxdcvgkduq0hsqvk505 op_cert: \x2b6ea292b70f5721fe48a4aac09dda5ce0b50ba1c8654787f8662c0493cd2af7 op_cert_counter: 9