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 8552098 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 87968350 epoch_slot_no: 99550 block_no: 8551921 slot_leader_id: 7376398 size: 16658 time: 2023-03-23 01:24:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x889b44756afa7f35105fa5a9bb5df70ea55cf0ee50f1fba50ede119ae696784aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1546z730nmpfwcye7ms6s3awkk3tv4ad9w3dq70txy0c6zhvf83nsu5gg3n op_cert: \x489953cbf276ca379005f8966bf5c6f602995956fafcdc26af23ffa2d1d78669 op_cert_counter: 1659975330