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 8549435 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 87912970 epoch_slot_no: 44170 block_no: 8549258 slot_leader_id: 4962621 size: 11442 time: 2023-03-22 10:01:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x59bcba5bae9bd9c7f51ece9814f6c225c889697467ec1ba6088ce4c842f720d9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qs40s2r4qhygpq8va07ntwrpptd7ak6vnpskmqqctdz5d5z9y6ysv6ext5 op_cert: \xfcf1ac52e29a36b45fc2bc9d13faa1b1ef130a7e02826fc094ca265f91c7d40d op_cert_counter: 8