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 8549177 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87907669 epoch_slot_no: 38869 block_no: 8549000 slot_leader_id: 7046600 size: 76792 time: 2023-03-22 08:32:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ecf0a80a49bd68bbfc78f4403910c750d0ddeabd11e618222a1c4795fc8ac8bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k6j2zqhnrfaer759fhh0hdd5sw2pvrzytnlquy068cgrxwqmgd9q6yt2uq op_cert: \x2eff91fac979247faeadd5685a7423564fcb1f642f6af47285bf1ee91f76da75 op_cert_counter: 1659972981