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 8557168 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 88071199 epoch_slot_no: 202399 block_no: 8556991 slot_leader_id: 5985516 size: 17957 time: 2023-03-24 05:58:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa12985ded989e65a144df6b03cc268e10b09f5c8dc4af71aaa6464d159b2add2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17ll8vxmuraz3xs2222dp7j287fss84dpp79f28yjappnam28n06ssmphr5 op_cert: \x084d271b7faeb66502399d8f6cc6b93d932c319cb9580de6bde61d8b89052308 op_cert_counter: 5