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 8552493 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 39 slot_no: 87976169 epoch_slot_no: 107369 block_no: 8552316 slot_leader_id: 4570659 size: 88729 time: 2023-03-23 03:34:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x76c7ca5b70473f4ee4c66c89f64ebfd51d1c217fce1ce76381b483d50d5b5ce4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qmyw2hyfh8jvgqcfe9kuwjz5506g0z4hamq29x7t8g2rr7cez0zsnrs793 op_cert: \x1a0f1a641862e2a7cccf8668ac26a79860dac0403a326d9410d4a358c4f8ff5a op_cert_counter: 14