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 8550511 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 87935498 epoch_slot_no: 66698 block_no: 8550334 slot_leader_id: 4691946 size: 37105 time: 2023-03-22 16:16:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c8981e23f2936cc6f3d29bcafe733c76b3acfea769a02760344e478e8558a1aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19yzsxj0wpvns57zq6zw626z27amrnfqmy5j5h7ywj9u693qjzs8s4a24t2 op_cert: \xd0e19c2ea1b69b976b6a2bb04ecb922b99f2623834703acac2213e22965d2fe2 op_cert_counter: 26