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 8555577 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 88039180 epoch_slot_no: 170380 block_no: 8555400 slot_leader_id: 7077074 size: 88564 time: 2023-03-23 21:04:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66f3fde7534aa5f8b6b5f0e36b05ada638e48c9a67a643384d40e70e80ca69eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17heqyz859e9v0m2tnfq2zvy739vuh5rsfjqyclg20280phht4jmsmvptve op_cert: \x788af85ee853865d437c27501369060dacd3769217e88dd6e209228718695168 op_cert_counter: 9