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 8553519 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 87996958 epoch_slot_no: 128158 block_no: 8553342 slot_leader_id: 5080696 size: 20722 time: 2023-03-23 09:20:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc188a1efc0377a74b328a362e222e0b1e3e51954e4eec3c4414dd7bb6b0a7cbfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18s6zlh303m8q4cs2rh9mk2akd79jzufrngmjexmqryl4j5q88mjsmjtgke op_cert: \x52bd1fc84d214c8a293f7347fe9f5b1419091888fe528157f2f1aa8cfb28dc13 op_cert_counter: 10