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 8549303 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87910073 epoch_slot_no: 41273 block_no: 8549126 slot_leader_id: 4780313 size: 24224 time: 2023-03-22 09:12:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8162a6a20b5e718fdd3b08a79ec84dffa438557899d80fa83b2c7e113c7f87f5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15t80lqht4wup777p6ahns3uapzkp27ya6rhasg9dp4mjqys6lhzqycvtmy op_cert: \xbaa6efe012d9d4accda3e85cc3ee0059335ff8ff888587d7a17a194e72509728 op_cert_counter: 20