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 8553438 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 87995522 epoch_slot_no: 126722 block_no: 8553261 slot_leader_id: 6384519 size: 42079 time: 2023-03-23 08:56:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x230428419cb378dbaf197aa86447a37c01053a50eab0ee1627dc7884245352aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18drw4kq0p6325fyyn3vapt5dgte5rcda7ze7mzqxguxy9uq7t64qv55rql op_cert: \x4c72ef17d3b61bed1200e0dbc12901a7a673a76394a0e1dd67ee58189bf194a4 op_cert_counter: 8