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 8549362 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87911419 epoch_slot_no: 42619 block_no: 8549185 slot_leader_id: 5051550 size: 28449 time: 2023-03-22 09:35:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc4c9e6ab63a94d4b7a91efc319a98fc533168f640eb23919adc2b6f714b2caf9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19k8v3502qlrgvu7m2d3626xltyzwl27appag5kt6dd39m8vlptlquzuk09 op_cert: \x4b0c48b0dba731d50a634de560caeac1c065f10aa0b36d3e63a3a74bdf68ccf2 op_cert_counter: 11