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 8551599 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 87957466 epoch_slot_no: 88666 block_no: 8551422 slot_leader_id: 7730065 size: 58477 time: 2023-03-22 22:22:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x05ca33c29d8916214309ce59832d4dc27dfea7aacd6973b4c3f3d1b95b8da17eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12mjklutxm5m5a98za4k4wfttjlv5eglz037nlm74dr5rgux2pm6qga5vg5 op_cert: \x5512bfbccc2022a8b4e4b584686f24eaff6c27ec68eb74dac6b0caff55791ec4 op_cert_counter: 2