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 8556856 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 88064726 epoch_slot_no: 195926 block_no: 8556679 slot_leader_id: 5279773 size: 41726 time: 2023-03-24 04:10:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x597f87837e3289c7ffc88825a95e4f61f7aa8a6845e0d046792a915113102dddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10h4ngjv2fn5saeft9j42r7qy5j0nwy8aftq3pe0era5xhgtenh6qlgu8j0 op_cert: \xcbcd051b370a3cfd142843e0c0f8ca60a16a6e6228d41021246c43ea8a4f37d9 op_cert_counter: 9