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 8551257 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87950584 epoch_slot_no: 81784 block_no: 8551080 slot_leader_id: 4555723 size: 9829 time: 2023-03-22 20:27:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x33b6223b9d65071cde1009318d9800067643b69d0b9572c996bb2bb791551a2eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ur9wp2srefjdzexfqnpvxaqe20ltra9z6pqwd9la20zasstztueqvc3eu0 op_cert: \x095f1be9adab96f45f27abda1ca11a0f101e85c0de5af0ca7c6be05835877135 op_cert_counter: 14