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 8550509 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 87935462 epoch_slot_no: 66662 block_no: 8550332 slot_leader_id: 4960753 size: 69605 time: 2023-03-22 16:15:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8cabcbd051ac2870c28f58fa3d42debe93b66bb9dd83ae62851076a7714149d2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hgpvnqzcskr8kskzyq2eqvnxavcw6u384ujeejannqz55sppv0qshc6j3a op_cert: \x14d7cf4343e5f95e8ed2eba0d88416dc6d981c8ff2e4a03f9f226d31833efcb3 op_cert_counter: 11