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 8552489 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 87975998 epoch_slot_no: 107198 block_no: 8552312 slot_leader_id: 4581743 size: 61961 time: 2023-03-23 03:31:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6cdf57d17566aa5a0345892376e4b4a32b32ba04d71a0c6f2e9a1b786dfd3ec5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10muay2s03zv47g7dqqqfkjk8w52a9auk6mz35vc79k7e70sw0jjq2qd234 op_cert: \x8595770f93b851c0e1aaab7bc067681ee2fdb45b8ba6ccac9d81e7a11e08b907 op_cert_counter: 13