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 8557605 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 88080342 epoch_slot_no: 211542 block_no: 8557428 slot_leader_id: 5023459 size: 11041 time: 2023-03-24 08:30:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52c96f3be1a9c5251cd1f3a0d1960e91541a89768fd3677aade615e4de7674d8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k5v8vk25xfezvtvc6a9kj9rnahkhuylwfm9k3ma6p0ukmh0wck6su7wl5c op_cert: \xf047f7ebafad67f0d24b2c158ca7e10b47bfe70cbc845027a1fb062faff1b07f op_cert_counter: 9