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 8557517 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 88078639 epoch_slot_no: 209839 block_no: 8557340 slot_leader_id: 5449479 size: 263 time: 2023-03-24 08:02:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5cab5ba60257a2c2e00befb219b35b3fbc9df1cf9c4427b71b78c09ed1a518b2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15ywu9senlxtlpnxc22kh594646xrfy4mz5zr5vtrn3mxnw4nn07s797gyz op_cert: \x6573c486a745f527bde536f4bb7e7bcfc71dd20e8b60916223ada63344cda9bc op_cert_counter: 9