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 8549640 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 87917745 epoch_slot_no: 48945 block_no: 8549463 slot_leader_id: 4982193 size: 88587 time: 2023-03-22 11:20:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4aed11b2204ede772625c529cfecfb1cb19cdb5ec0becd182608c23d326ee5e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mnjzvlsemnhnufd47g49cwsq7cgy8z657p0wre3gm6hl4gz6zcasw457zz op_cert: \x60051b3dbb5bf66e7e944635947cb636f1fb67cfd02518f794af4c9240222b97 op_cert_counter: 13