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 8556573 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 88059298 epoch_slot_no: 190498 block_no: 8556396 slot_leader_id: 6271615 size: 4294 time: 2023-03-24 02:39:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xac7dd1e5a5344a73de28752a02539eac321d96bd927ec566d4c0e73b23f7568eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yhrkcsnwt4afvqn0cy6xnrr939dp05mw90lsly7r03t7arh662eqltf6pw op_cert: \x80c09a40f728d1afc4d629f0c62f98d7581cf43a04b3293280db4ba5849aa4d4 op_cert_counter: 12