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 8557903 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 88086479 epoch_slot_no: 217679 block_no: 8557726 slot_leader_id: 5679081 size: 47464 time: 2023-03-24 10:12:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8d95bef0b5875e0e15b3d1a39d61541578ce58bd9d6a59df64c324e72b8e7cdeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hfux2r4k866gs053uevcpce7sd9ntflszxhvlwpy7t2wvzemdpfqnyztsl op_cert: \x55554e0fff4968252ee244098d74dfd909a74de75bf9bd21722dbe407fe9f803 op_cert_counter: 15