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 8549398 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87912160 epoch_slot_no: 43360 block_no: 8549221 slot_leader_id: 4555410 size: 4704 time: 2023-03-22 09:47:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe1544fc1ead0e89a24ebf209e3bb407f17fa8b13f755c3bec2fbef747acbb1a9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19qrmxdq296y6uw72dhjauh58ne2eatquhpnwlpp7cr33re83th2s6rkfka op_cert: \x8442bbb27c45cdaa9e9d8bd562b6827e64106bc79cb522937f2c5f9d71f56b6b op_cert_counter: 15