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 8553437 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 87995479 epoch_slot_no: 126679 block_no: 8553260 slot_leader_id: 4615785 size: 19708 time: 2023-03-23 08:56:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xab606ba08df62e3f844dae95361ef33256a813ed2e4293219c5909ebb2fc9513Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fztveanyz6zvwpc6zmcce5fe55r3uxagql9ejrmdhwcxw73d6w7q3062ks op_cert: \xa341ddad5ab07b39485242796ca2a2aa7c11c6ac9393f14f99cb4287d088cb41 op_cert_counter: 19