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 8557348 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88075061 epoch_slot_no: 206261 block_no: 8557171 slot_leader_id: 5824272 size: 38113 time: 2023-03-24 07:02:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf5564f2f00e53b62a7ffc93c0a4349e67bbbd9a5dfa90dba9fe2cc75c79239c8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqge3g6zp98fyu53kx05ghlq0cftk67f2wdrg2qgrcxxwxlw2hmqz8kprm op_cert: \x3e997ef62bea471b40372b5850627502a58a37719f508a65a713dff15941b360 op_cert_counter: 12