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 8558071 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 88089486 epoch_slot_no: 220686 block_no: 8557894 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 2034 time: 2023-03-24 11:02:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa1c7817fd50dddf1a5870d4fce18f9e593c63c1631843fba57ac0d5ff5a6def1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \xce1e24013fd4d3683d8987787bd03730a549789ecf33b60a6de573ad3306204c op_cert_counter: 15