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 8557602 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 88080297 epoch_slot_no: 211497 block_no: 8557425 slot_leader_id: 5870905 size: 39411 time: 2023-03-24 08:29:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x81836968dda20d85d5a0753354a8340c51fbfc4e63cdc01049fbae6eab6d23d4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk144ypakf59ccgk3n5nm8eqkfcy27qzrd2df8qmdxdy0rhfpqd37hq7g5wt4 op_cert: \xd2ca50ba781f47abd91fb6a09e63358b46887b09b031bb19e9138186f083bba8 op_cert_counter: 10