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 8556668 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 88061178 epoch_slot_no: 192378 block_no: 8556491 slot_leader_id: 5195649 size: 56154 time: 2023-03-24 03:11:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbd0efd8ae67ae0711bc19838221d3a8562cab4be385abd3622d2dfdc7a4fdfbcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14dmpfvlym0pvvpakv43why08xt0m8du35xudle0kuen7tj7wusss890hw3 op_cert: \x45033445454183fa6303bde4c3d2d090bc9425c2a97100ba138298c3f60c48cd op_cert_counter: 9