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 8551453 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 87954343 epoch_slot_no: 85543 block_no: 8551276 slot_leader_id: 7376318 size: 38319 time: 2023-03-22 21:30:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0d1153b4857acb9225c1e666b5a8ad4b8706b92197ab7e0a38096b896fbebf4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cmequ53at5z6wfecymqfj335f03xv2ak3mh434lqdfgylg6zvsdq9zcms8 op_cert: \x464e7d8a1fbe72986b6d30e2c243a5e2d4722e1769be0d0d60686d8fef2e47c6 op_cert_counter: 1659975270