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 8553493 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 87996623 epoch_slot_no: 127823 block_no: 8553316 slot_leader_id: 5004651 size: 31546 time: 2023-03-23 09:15:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74d0af8eda216fa636aa9b78e89e36c4c572362be61a15b0b7000f1fd30a4be5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d9dr3tl0fptww5r9pyxj4kafvxxz4h6vqe9kud4gx062q2rl6l8q49e4p0 op_cert: \x521b298f03af0c26275decdfe5c2763e87cd394907e62ce364ec7bf0d16b3be5 op_cert_counter: 9