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 8552261 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 87971273 epoch_slot_no: 102473 block_no: 8552084 slot_leader_id: 7253610 size: 39417 time: 2023-03-23 02:12:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb1d17b59dda2e7a42171031423ecbcb999325088a571936cdaec8a853c567ae0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18flqf7njg78xasz4u9cq4satscejmqyed8xsgnmyv64dpc3juansldw4u0 op_cert: \x9a74a7d04cd75b78e41a567ead29e16d4b6b7d49972c134d00bf0d1bcf65f1ce op_cert_counter: 8