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 8557643 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 88081220 epoch_slot_no: 212420 block_no: 8557466 slot_leader_id: 7046648 size: 4593 time: 2023-03-24 08:45:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x846d3eb4c9c4dc95d530da803962a318bca2d088fb96033f4c4ea7ba8cf90cc5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14kzpx0v3ucdpwju3c55mv90694de9r644ssgc4tedtm8lja6msfsdzgy4d op_cert: \x4d5a854e3826514a9c91c8db1bf4a6194c3671b686af42617b9853a135d91502 op_cert_counter: 1659973048