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 8553603 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 87998421 epoch_slot_no: 129621 block_no: 8553426 slot_leader_id: 5218645 size: 7655 time: 2023-03-23 09:45:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf1b1eb91a3d58a13a3008374d11e2d6bc3bcc322784bb347b434fc46b3315a7dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cr3fmmh5vxgca4c7yg662zryxt9uuvnj98ldj2lqa5w56fq2dqqqpje9yj op_cert: \x713afa11d5354dfb1c106191b942cc873ab047938a4a016c2c8e8b8694e09971 op_cert_counter: 11