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 8553681 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 46 slot_no: 88000072 epoch_slot_no: 131272 block_no: 8553504 slot_leader_id: 5354399 size: 70282 time: 2023-03-23 10:12:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd403663c211ebc5798e4fde90ca630e26c55b3e4626ec479c9b30a91403ed72cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13zc6c3uj5y955haryzdh4fngv5u7ywxet5sekx8gy87mwws95lhswx60dp op_cert: \x1641298aedb1da2c7924b5532de1743b64ee228569857a6eccbdfa7108c1269b op_cert_counter: 10