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 8552357 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87973079 epoch_slot_no: 104279 block_no: 8552180 slot_leader_id: 4578577 size: 14979 time: 2023-03-23 02:42:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xef1813f31a2470b283b1598b680d42a751413a2bea8ef64d005cbc180512ff02Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lknw8t34xzv42lucahfnd9jjnux8kvk00l3d06nmmg5zjy03m4gsv8r09n op_cert: \x57c1b2e7665b1c6a675583b7ffe2c189e21776e756085d8ac109781876322ccd op_cert_counter: 10