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 8552683 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 87980378 epoch_slot_no: 111578 block_no: 8552506 slot_leader_id: 6271615 size: 58866 time: 2023-03-23 04:44:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbb9afc3382a45882e5be06db697a47694198654e819f716596cf7b7a66968189Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yhrkcsnwt4afvqn0cy6xnrr939dp05mw90lsly7r03t7arh662eqltf6pw op_cert: \x80c09a40f728d1afc4d629f0c62f98d7581cf43a04b3293280db4ba5849aa4d4 op_cert_counter: 12