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 8553518 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 87996938 epoch_slot_no: 128138 block_no: 8553341 slot_leader_id: 7356967 size: 51374 time: 2023-03-23 09:20:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8f2afc93a227b1e951a600b3f4195e420aaeff5f43a483645d185d9ced1a8bfeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17h65ynw5n8lv5mux0gn645yd82prtqj2a0f85u6rdp05e045050qawtgmm op_cert: \xfa06c52f3fbbc709e64714f48ac949089d2dc7f24268233e9fb5d19bd75ea689 op_cert_counter: 1659975131