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 8555440 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 88036440 epoch_slot_no: 167640 block_no: 8555263 slot_leader_id: 6985893 size: 23658 time: 2023-03-23 20:18:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf977f99c003a7dfc2eeb371b4c8791c2a3b1bd763294a77bbaf720e0bccc3e5cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qngzne283hwrc4xnk8f7psx5qhkg3pu7rdcu2nr0m2fwwlc23y2s52g7wk op_cert: \xf1493f7bab2f87c0b3a05771f83b5f1d3030985c768b0f87c42c41d042729668 op_cert_counter: 5