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 8549606 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 87917002 epoch_slot_no: 48202 block_no: 8549429 slot_leader_id: 7048996 size: 48784 time: 2023-03-22 11:08:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf7dd007aa6b0284062e147ffb0cf80d1c873fb84df32513aefc8c1bc5e6dc2aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w6j0zv7ls8a8luddxe8vunyky9mkyq6j35cc5jtxxtln046kjfls4rsac3 op_cert: \x4e15456c92b5efb0b7f6fcfd00950787a0df7210ca815512af5cd20c616d350f op_cert_counter: 5