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 8552544 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 87977256 epoch_slot_no: 108456 block_no: 8552367 slot_leader_id: 5999285 size: 29476 time: 2023-03-23 03:52:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd27b2b48d04b0ceeb3af1ce3d902c8e278ad2472a1562159af7d0dd733f8b6baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dy7uln973y89gn0gxefd357upc0rpsreldq7ukja28rf8ww9jd4qt4zjh6 op_cert: \x0bd6cdf885ede5c0e6819457ba8a6909674c92cf6744b4f6d052fcbccbba399d op_cert_counter: 9