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 8549740 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87919547 epoch_slot_no: 50747 block_no: 8549563 slot_leader_id: 5333427 size: 35770 time: 2023-03-22 11:50:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x134a0fdc0f7c29a73895d87f484726207428c36694ef1c0b57c91494bfd51dcbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk108fhz5azzg3av3f02tu972k0kdsuvxwetmpx5rqplsu5tg8yygjqguhkjg op_cert: \x8330a954d4afc6c559c549f8c93f90dcc8929788a609e5b94977207ddd5540f0 op_cert_counter: 16