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 8556649 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 88060809 epoch_slot_no: 192009 block_no: 8556472 slot_leader_id: 4560329 size: 51892 time: 2023-03-24 03:05:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7860cc1ba9e70612704800c16b71b370d6fe8d3ec5587304e5f8d15875f02dd1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rcczqvh08687crmnemj7ykr8t5nhygv97uhjafn2wtkvhm43uc8qm8z782 op_cert: \x89f23512de30150578af0e7941d24bc68be4fcc20ad040537d62d99f266b7092 op_cert_counter: 14