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 8557872 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 88085761 epoch_slot_no: 216961 block_no: 8557695 slot_leader_id: 5153170 size: 6610 time: 2023-03-24 10:00:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0e296b92089f81776e62bc66cdd3f5068da45884c43473eefd16d9a0572d871cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t4z0yj73jcllp9zv800jcwp0szw9jhh53f3rfs0zgvcjfqfdy43sa5q9u3 op_cert: \x0d90d204ccdd13c204fcb30c497f3bcc8b1ab8ea0abf2c919970bef23be12276 op_cert_counter: 13