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 8549157 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 87907272 epoch_slot_no: 38472 block_no: 8548980 slot_leader_id: 4604290 size: 68769 time: 2023-03-22 08:26:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf1f77a86b496811a55b624d345c1765ccd370c839d2dbd02796827a100f6c3e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ck5fsw5vhjg83kv4jjetaw3xjydxnl4zvthnm2yrw5wmq6v03xmsja44am op_cert: \x2c3b9cc780aabf26a5866f46d77012137689f65b38df50e09aee3058980a7ab7 op_cert_counter: 18