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 8556221 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 88052014 epoch_slot_no: 183214 block_no: 8556044 slot_leader_id: 5080696 size: 3037 time: 2023-03-24 00:38:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x69f698ecccba1b0c37b39388a584bf4329a1793fbfc099e3fc9ef1bb3b247e7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18s6zlh303m8q4cs2rh9mk2akd79jzufrngmjexmqryl4j5q88mjsmjtgke op_cert: \x52bd1fc84d214c8a293f7347fe9f5b1419091888fe528157f2f1aa8cfb28dc13 op_cert_counter: 10