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 8558196 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 88092068 epoch_slot_no: 223268 block_no: 8558019 slot_leader_id: 4597919 size: 20085 time: 2023-03-24 11:45:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xac81506ebe30c9c4faf0d50df462b1ccf3eac5fcb231acdeec30b875d33f8df2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqxua5h367t3u6hh8e0a2xaykstvkvefln3zc6sn8c3wrqpu3mzsexem67 op_cert: \x4b9ab34c1441058fa02629f09ebe7d5fbeb44d26844f4d4f9cb568be494904b0 op_cert_counter: 31