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 8557904 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 88086491 epoch_slot_no: 217691 block_no: 8557727 slot_leader_id: 5435792 size: 6012 time: 2023-03-24 10:13:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x22fd446a0aed128397c3194343ccf14c2395e534aee25c8edd36d7a4afd66205Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n6hy2l3htesq4ext39whq0a63eg6mq73ktql2xlhhsldhv5tg27s0madu5 op_cert: \x8b5618de07b044bb8a99624b99bd1fb854650baba6cdf26a2c961b355263cd41 op_cert_counter: 9