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 8557573 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 88079669 epoch_slot_no: 210869 block_no: 8557396 slot_leader_id: 7087703 size: 40981 time: 2023-03-24 08:19:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdf3e30a47ce8a5d76331dde7d379ee4dcb3839dc710ecbc36b5f0ad0107d266cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g64gmdajhd8v4lh4asr6mr64975qrgse2g3qtj3897wep832hy4qx3zzem op_cert: \xad7ca44a6f6d847aa0d97de577e507ac1ff51083dde1ec1f7f2a1c98bef5d447 op_cert_counter: 4