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 8553309 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 87993036 epoch_slot_no: 124236 block_no: 8553132 slot_leader_id: 4564259 size: 80769 time: 2023-03-23 08:15:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x83c976f65f05de9eabf1ba9197ccc0eb3fb71bc032e6acebe06affeb3084aeb3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gdvfyt2slq5gjh8qw6u83t693uh5u8au6cgyjzk5p8v5tmp7qzpqztxpq6 op_cert: \x140fa78bf41c9cd489e377597783e0c2055939372e0e08347d78297e44565afa op_cert_counter: 12