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 8557514 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 88078607 epoch_slot_no: 209807 block_no: 8557337 slot_leader_id: 4569295 size: 17830 time: 2023-03-24 08:01:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb6ab4cb62fca0288e7610a9a3fbddd75db46768161e38c37b343c43019a3bd36Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qnxv35jp3y5k63pgrd0pxvyl9dpj44hsd9vdrs530m0rfwfs42wq395qjz op_cert: \x21aa8d4f07ad4f2738cd68d35260ea47e183d47ead6c8223ad325856051e082d op_cert_counter: 23