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 8555481 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88037346 epoch_slot_no: 168546 block_no: 8555304 slot_leader_id: 5114286 size: 39377 time: 2023-03-23 20:33:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x99197069a604fdd4da6ee13985fd98a960949ca1d78a37b5531c7dbd81db4006Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15mraalry4lpekm27mzld8za8lw6dvufxq97w8c8sjkuvekkkg6hqsng65e op_cert: \xb5baf392dc236180e8f6c250b092836d2193c05ce4e979122c9c58dd019efde6 op_cert_counter: 12