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 8551186 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 87949189 epoch_slot_no: 80389 block_no: 8551009 slot_leader_id: 5449775 size: 31258 time: 2023-03-22 20:04:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd6a39befa1808cce7b3bb85cbff1a82f31b5c01369e5b540d205c2c8df39e38eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z5auen82gmsxjglvkpek8saf6lrl00klfh0l2k26v3pgp89wj0vssj9n35 op_cert: \x1dd91728315685f7be5ee70d1f6ad85e3895bc41238f9012b2e2aa6ef0ccd95a op_cert_counter: 9