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 8556897 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88065531 epoch_slot_no: 196731 block_no: 8556720 slot_leader_id: 5152559 size: 30673 time: 2023-03-24 04:23:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0821f5658bb4d8b9741a1131f8134fb32be742d4f6b65e064697a957abe30bafBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18jd04rha883u062sv099xjvawvdqectd4ekwqjf9gkplwnfj0cnsy8hnyr op_cert: \xca993d2d68e9337e4be7717c0fa63385f5606a89e4d133961dd3da66cae72be9 op_cert_counter: 12