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 8556638 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88060604 epoch_slot_no: 191804 block_no: 8556461 slot_leader_id: 5155461 size: 33699 time: 2023-03-24 03:01:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72cf1b4b9db3515be61faf74be867c706443c2211116729fa6f8d641232a291bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12y0w5lf2um7jnaamxezagrndnqa4zylp6r9edhturnkydah9v0js47h9v8 op_cert: \x0b7315f07c3b77d76d215271632a433a70ea246957e36ddb54da5e00e57d7b85 op_cert_counter: 14