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 8551274 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 87950827 epoch_slot_no: 82027 block_no: 8551097 slot_leader_id: 7685981 size: 22870 time: 2023-03-22 20:31:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x16c681c99401d4268068bb3045652d3f49257a7e915c96fd4fcc17eb1d3c60bbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12k09rgxmqslmneexx8mgakwumk4gfe3dkn8ntta25zjhz0a4zmaq07th89 op_cert: \x0e17e5a48db91514bb364d411480dfd8cc01a107913b3de45d5987d05f8b5bf2 op_cert_counter: 12