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 8555173 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88031128 epoch_slot_no: 162328 block_no: 8554996 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 14143 time: 2023-03-23 18:50:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73c0fda7a12a1f5efd07976bd1de52ff9407a0cfa281f83615ad296ed99b8327Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \xce1e24013fd4d3683d8987787bd03730a549789ecf33b60a6de573ad3306204c op_cert_counter: 15