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 8558262 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 88093601 epoch_slot_no: 224801 block_no: 8558085 slot_leader_id: 4962621 size: 3802 time: 2023-03-24 12:11:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x40d735fb2973fb100f7e5e50156444b4a834786f7a8c90b484a9b0229ddac87fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qs40s2r4qhygpq8va07ntwrpptd7ak6vnpskmqqctdz5d5z9y6ysv6ext5 op_cert: \x8b462c8dbe72e7d948c1d8c8d8f841b2c1534d1283018e5d211c72b590d30df1 op_cert_counter: 9