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 8549434 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 87912963 epoch_slot_no: 44163 block_no: 8549257 slot_leader_id: 5386451 size: 38622 time: 2023-03-22 10:00:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe96d8c1530d05979a0ba640118534cc9546cb68a9b281aa74ac282e5537da5a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj580fj2xsw0pgvcsxz7x30hgladhhnvmv0a6j5cc2xkh2zc4esvq44ev op_cert: \x0158fc58322efe6d20ba59ff0dfcc97b8978d31be4c1850f2af9f9f8f57065eb op_cert_counter: 9