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 8549396 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87912123 epoch_slot_no: 43323 block_no: 8549219 slot_leader_id: 5412073 size: 45793 time: 2023-03-22 09:46:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34da6b07d92f036ab7eb1e962321a28159df3be05e50caeed975bdebe9058e90Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ktkn6ja74g2wrvxxuk5aase8cxjf3k2dsarjm82gy9qvn9rwsk2swkrkfn op_cert: \x3d869e8823ac4a14942e378865d817dce457c902fbccbd2544b498276b1d0a99 op_cert_counter: 9