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 8549386 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87911940 epoch_slot_no: 43140 block_no: 8549209 slot_leader_id: 5386143 size: 45849 time: 2023-03-22 09:43:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf5cd0d5a5b62b840849ac309cbf3c6bf5dd4db6527ea7418e5f4a26c103431e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xe3f9ttlzam3gmrpjlf248l9vl625n0awax5qulss2ls0qnkpas9g66jv op_cert: \x2e2f6e0c63733913c11512fa4c143e88cd49ea46c05f9e9765882ccf2e659e30 op_cert_counter: 10