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 8549601 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 87916924 epoch_slot_no: 48124 block_no: 8549424 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 25345 time: 2023-03-22 11:06:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xde6463449fd19db42bef9a54311af5b085b81cc85398d6f7f4f30cdeeac3ffdaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x8b486c1c6aa26f5271f7d4e6e02d52e63f4a5a2dff03f891c86ea4a4da1dba0e op_cert_counter: 11