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 8553657 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 87999514 epoch_slot_no: 130714 block_no: 8553480 slot_leader_id: 7834434 size: 11509 time: 2023-03-23 10:03:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5a46e78fbc2ce76ca584aae31c8cc80f00738c7650a0c0de7b468ccad80a9e12Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kaahl59efdcflm00jnprk03far7ac634qwk8447lgdmz2gmuuezsgcshkc op_cert: \x05efdcf76e0e00ed85608be719defb000b0ea43046fff74cec40de02d7714085 op_cert_counter: 10