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 8551040 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 87946331 epoch_slot_no: 77531 block_no: 8550863 slot_leader_id: 4577316 size: 84348 time: 2023-03-22 19:17:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6638edb43350b51eb23a70e459646c6669ffbbcc382d80789834773246aa48b6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1edd827s435dsz33ugs3gap2z20qnmdl9p29y9837aumuqjf5rdus3fv47k op_cert: \x36c4fff01d0b3731ccc4dfa8f2dfd8348b11a971df96c5c5eb8adac8b4eaae4d op_cert_counter: 17