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 8556603 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 88059886 epoch_slot_no: 191086 block_no: 8556426 slot_leader_id: 7047164 size: 9848 time: 2023-03-24 02:49:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x36252c3e985fe8dd4eca242ac49738c4c6d1e006f65d83d90f42a7f28ccbeaceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u6qem3tc44lmpc6pqj0yp3ujtzje864cp39enr4p90kur0ql2zjqf6wgqc op_cert: \xa456b11c9d5bb5837db99dafa4f4efc57e7723439039d6da898bf8f5979bce49 op_cert_counter: 1659973535