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 8551466 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 49 slot_no: 87954607 epoch_slot_no: 85807 block_no: 8551289 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 72247 time: 2023-03-22 21:34:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18516eb48658ddb4086e6de856b5753869d77dc00795f4fb12c2d76a5d676ff5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \xce1e24013fd4d3683d8987787bd03730a549789ecf33b60a6de573ad3306204c op_cert_counter: 15