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 8557741 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 88083324 epoch_slot_no: 214524 block_no: 8557564 slot_leader_id: 5394655 size: 62211 time: 2023-03-24 09:20:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5540ba5679454ccfd8ca963e027a4ce36c381d8e4953e3f9d00d9d61b9e396eaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kgmhz3jg4el6cwp9ga35emnnj7dae8z40xhtwn0yz73t8ws3a4jqheup0r op_cert: \x7cd1cfafa81a7e6f5eed495c0b7a254bd8d943b4a122557d2b826a01eb30da44 op_cert_counter: 9