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 8557338 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88074773 epoch_slot_no: 205973 block_no: 8557161 slot_leader_id: 5688270 size: 14304 time: 2023-03-24 06:57:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf6083c57d6461e31dc175f90d67ca07f63603a1893a3821dc993762638af11b3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pa05qgfgms22qvy860ggarcrwccnxv274gc7v0c2r5gvmwv6tzqqnnecz4 op_cert: \x4febf47db72d1a612a846357d1c9c5bc681d7a9bdb6f08b1448ce69bdedfc75a op_cert_counter: 10