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 8551564 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 87956763 epoch_slot_no: 87963 block_no: 8551387 slot_leader_id: 7750291 size: 16401 time: 2023-03-22 22:10:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2ba016de625f7bee52337354ee1bfeca0935cb3a678546934c7095eefa93b1c4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nsd9l3w7czjtsgk45we9fn5mz6pfj3u3y74de7t4qmhj2aghllmqznqncd op_cert: \x44037f8e7ae2eb36be7666b4c51c83dac664110bed8946b154cc647d75dd5fb5 op_cert_counter: 3