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 8557417 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 88076547 epoch_slot_no: 207747 block_no: 8557240 slot_leader_id: 7101284 size: 69498 time: 2023-03-24 07:27:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xacff730946452e994c68c70d021c88b602253dba1eacf1b5fde0cdf21602c9e8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18pjpm8x02gf3auhg7r6dset400sxjj0sy7zxj4hc8lhpjrtnw4usule582 op_cert: \x6ee0fac80e05396573bd1e9a4486887e0c6a84d1f8b51ed5b0f39c75201ae0ec op_cert_counter: 5