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 8557502 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 88078391 epoch_slot_no: 209591 block_no: 8557325 slot_leader_id: 6385290 size: 18307 time: 2023-03-24 07:58:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e8353fa78cd3873a5bb93080529a11f0d0caa70e30f96bde1518b443679836eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kwhduezvew8pa7zd6hl4ecrsmxy57jw6ryxpu04d54ewvvu66nnsemgwjt op_cert: \x166eab65b291fb26321669812dd9b5dca8b08fec6be76420893f0eda66653c18 op_cert_counter: 11