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 8557693 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 88082374 epoch_slot_no: 213574 block_no: 8557516 slot_leader_id: 5280017 size: 38123 time: 2023-03-24 09:04:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf5e3c9ee4f832a52d75d1ea03b6bbd1185d36a93ef45e918edb56ae829af00eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15n7zth7vjpy07f3kenmxq7er9y6e6f8qss8stptf0w7tu0ursxlslch9mx op_cert: \xebeb8245d2d7095b6a2bc4a9e79e2ef37eb0f1d9f344549b38318a52ca09183a op_cert_counter: 9