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 8552949 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 87985947 epoch_slot_no: 117147 block_no: 8552772 slot_leader_id: 7005759 size: 33662 time: 2023-03-23 06:17:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae88944d6e632e68b55747a7336445bb43da9307d5a179bda5ce8433683db690Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t0syd45jwwwrfw6jpmc9668nqxmm4lq4wmjcfyqp2ljkr4z8yacq60w88g op_cert: \x018f9af6ebca5920f4efc71aa85af9b248b9ebf7a76a09d81bff41b3f3fdb435 op_cert_counter: 5