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 8551217 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 44 slot_no: 87949739 epoch_slot_no: 80939 block_no: 8551040 slot_leader_id: 4593473 size: 88467 time: 2023-03-22 20:13:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x36ad0b1834ea089fdabb6fd8782ff5c95b9ef37eb03139ca260182dcc534ac34Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dhzcqm0dmfxtcyd9ttqv73cvqzjq0cz72dem6x2ht3wv9fu4rkns9xg4rj op_cert: \xd4a3437a4c5eda94398300185367a2de80f3fe40ca5913f5dfe3630466e88088 op_cert_counter: 13