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 8549980 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 87924598 epoch_slot_no: 55798 block_no: 8549803 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 80276 time: 2023-03-22 13:14:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8e8bab78a8dd894217094eff0ac1278f897c17f8b42d11dd46bd6c6199fe92f2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \xb81ec1a011ad21280b5c28e7809b90f155bf8fe6e1da6a6b76096265196eab94 op_cert_counter: 11