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 8558357 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 88095752 epoch_slot_no: 226952 block_no: 8558180 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 609 time: 2023-03-24 12:47:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52a5faf23a609b91a3631896829e98bfbfc5ef8ed2113eca2c5fbc4c9fd22928Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x8b486c1c6aa26f5271f7d4e6e02d52e63f4a5a2dff03f891c86ea4a4da1dba0e op_cert_counter: 11