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 8557257 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 88073194 epoch_slot_no: 204394 block_no: 8557080 slot_leader_id: 5533593 size: 72747 time: 2023-03-24 06:31:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2f0a40c153ddedba2b50dcc253bcd6d41a92bf674680ee9678fe0e687208b5a6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10s4fgpaf0vx9aeg7sueh2n55nwlgdqag2ehxp3tmdaed8q7cf3zq76jlz2 op_cert: \xe79f1fbc7a435ae8ff4c8ca035168893b677bc834ef1a541fd302f70d0a467a9 op_cert_counter: 8