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 8557620 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88080646 epoch_slot_no: 211846 block_no: 8557443 slot_leader_id: 4560858 size: 53163 time: 2023-03-24 08:35:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf7561bd28a5dadbeb92a843355a16e53f5064ed10df3dff91e5b1b2f39a9ede6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mrwwxpf2pdsu4es46gu7rjy82fntc0538p8a7vuhrmu2ddxn68kqstj6y3 op_cert: \x2f0d203930373bd949f96a24c3d810c6f9e01ff695ac9c5ba8b293bb4be77434 op_cert_counter: 11