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 8549642 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87917763 epoch_slot_no: 48963 block_no: 8549465 slot_leader_id: 7261263 size: 42672 time: 2023-03-22 11:20:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x83423b34a8001a51f91a237601e11e60e940f42fd8c5c53ee9f017253caf886cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s6xmszspk6kq6nvqrjecyzdcgt4ln5fuflfaw2370jcvr75lrweqalr9gz op_cert: \xca3ba021eefb06b9af47860099bbf4c427f6c4e1c2e2c823f7c4db3d2e498fbb op_cert_counter: 8