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 8557864 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88085574 epoch_slot_no: 216774 block_no: 8557687 slot_leader_id: 5596534 size: 25785 time: 2023-03-24 09:57:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfcc0338493d4f92764d4a03003ec0cc584d57554ee5dfe9901d8aa7a99f6d7e3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ltvd0w6hv0uczp02jjdswh5qu9nmfla04qtd25eqsydrf7n2pvssqcuc48 op_cert: \x4d796d0dd8f11b337a36a8a433baf3a3ff954247b2c70c20fd2f6addb4a3e937 op_cert_counter: 9