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 8552514 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 87976551 epoch_slot_no: 107751 block_no: 8552337 slot_leader_id: 5596534 size: 20489 time: 2023-03-23 03:40:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9da2716fba3f30aa562a8b18842d9f338ed67657a568b2fb70a6a98baafa81c2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ltvd0w6hv0uczp02jjdswh5qu9nmfla04qtd25eqsydrf7n2pvssqcuc48 op_cert: \xfd7b073301ce7495fb4ae390de24f56fd90a4b1aa98beaf875c127f85d96b6c5 op_cert_counter: 8