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 8551577 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 87956970 epoch_slot_no: 88170 block_no: 8551400 slot_leader_id: 8321248 size: 2563 time: 2023-03-22 22:14:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x301c597930e666aa548ada345c14da1ae01c544a8a3b3656e1ee596d01925909Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk187v0r0hvdzrstx2rnm8xp04gteak82n05lhspksmkyxr2a8ka4nqq45nel op_cert: \x3a19c0502054b586f8c3a80977ca25be3642d791e4e20e7cfc79f22f3b46dc41 op_cert_counter: 1