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 8553701 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88000494 epoch_slot_no: 131694 block_no: 8553524 slot_leader_id: 4917548 size: 13464 time: 2023-03-23 10:19:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaaaff1cf45bc3cd8f0896348ded288cd5fca2c38ff70d23f3131ac5d32d0a112Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16te2keza3vn4r7z5kjz9ywzp09s5xe9lvmxg8ttw2lc8e2ujfh6s0sxtze op_cert: \x90df42dd275beb6dfa4e4fa43d7ac290321ebdf979fa809b5ad40adbba7a2359 op_cert_counter: 15