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 8556949 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 88066832 epoch_slot_no: 198032 block_no: 8556772 slot_leader_id: 5979776 size: 49785 time: 2023-03-24 04:45:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x969ed9a36f36ca465b5101c0a7851eab89e6ee34e6f6be7131ef8b85a0d73a09Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1l3u2q23jwpwlnky3yvm76su70xq06k2xtxyz37kgw09duhr2ex5qac0fjf op_cert: \x9390d7d0b67720ef33080f370b4b7ce0eec3db8c0e2d5cbd4419683bac32aba1 op_cert_counter: 8