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 8549866 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 87922210 epoch_slot_no: 53410 block_no: 8549689 slot_leader_id: 7376848 size: 29253 time: 2023-03-22 12:35:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x960c453556b1a644cd81b216d6b0c64fe3baec0d2f8296f7667a3d03269d9ba4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wvgsal8szs0drj58qp53g0kket0gsme990l76t4pkyc3gaj6ckhsalx58h op_cert: \x538b31fd10488ffe406cfdbe91b6c7783e1c0b295a22769c882faceeab37d118 op_cert_counter: 1659975478