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 8549356 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 87911310 epoch_slot_no: 42510 block_no: 8549179 slot_leader_id: 5386302 size: 35563 time: 2023-03-22 09:33:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8006369cd7e9dbb3ba5dd9e9fd46b71eaa32845874f934ba8b13b3becc245ca5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ejqumzt5q6x0mzjy2szey5d0xses844l9zcderwde8nv5ramvn8qrxlh73 op_cert: \x1e9353292a6a69a281fb45b029725096122697be55e268f147972b19216ec2c3 op_cert_counter: 10