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 8549374 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 87911654 epoch_slot_no: 42854 block_no: 8549197 slot_leader_id: 7376972 size: 60717 time: 2023-03-22 09:39:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae4fbd5a8d9e1828e23a3d7e8a50716f40b8e5dbef66e5bf4d989ef0373a9a66Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qwrpx8sujdrfea30lh8uapmqtfle2u94eyuxj6g56h4sfumw90wsk7424w op_cert: \xa2cb504aca2901f121e6eb466e5ad2330efe3fe5a7bb05920770ed9264845191 op_cert_counter: 1659975354