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 8549621 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 87917354 epoch_slot_no: 48554 block_no: 8549444 slot_leader_id: 7152020 size: 24959 time: 2023-03-22 11:14:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x53b644b7f0afeb83202fa31215a274969336ad00396bf8d09bf16ae6b663a4a6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dgxegmucnl938nyncdmwexru798ltsp4k62lzw6gezqlr9w0s28qxvhtws op_cert: \x5bb86a6bae558ca4f3686dc927e365335d9d43d537a1a02bd6deab2ccc189ddb op_cert_counter: 5