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 8549860 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 87922093 epoch_slot_no: 53293 block_no: 8549683 slot_leader_id: 6271550 size: 77579 time: 2023-03-22 12:33:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x683ac4e1eed22b353cf27c8aafa508e23a8c50ec83dc965badf4e22a00e05b9aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13er3tmwgaukk4rqcvzc3va07ptapsmht7t8mv240fs6jdwx9h4yqpx0rfs op_cert: \x6df417c82a35615bf2ec7b8e5e37926e8ba0b4734ad37b01cdbd2447be282a33 op_cert_counter: 7