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 8549541 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 87915333 epoch_slot_no: 46533 block_no: 8549364 slot_leader_id: 8526317 size: 8734 time: 2023-03-22 10:40:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x41acd41167cb8f7ce4e7378787d197a3a19094ed118faa925a2aba70c8423719Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fkpeek2ueuph92fgtjmnfhmpm6sg6zm8q9s2ku53jh53dnqnqz8sma3md3 op_cert: \x3298cdef350866ac01e70d2af6d6da90ce80b75e9f39fe9bd4f805aa50190c41 op_cert_counter: 0