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 8549246 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 87908934 epoch_slot_no: 40134 block_no: 8549069 slot_leader_id: 5529321 size: 35627 time: 2023-03-22 08:53:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x59e7cde9d07b174d9df4fc41d7552a8183f6b1366541fc0a543c7d3dc2f57aaeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w87tt9nxnxvgx8rlvk6utcs3ehjeqnc7wlv7qgl4t80tldj62rks8w0fvk op_cert: \x4fcaec2e1209784c09de1d7818027c5172f41534a65cc2ed9e526ee987e0d2fb op_cert_counter: 25