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 8558398 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 88096642 epoch_slot_no: 227842 block_no: 8558221 slot_leader_id: 5359678 size: 4922 time: 2023-03-24 13:02:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe77ab3060bff697dee525673947eaaa72b3ec52280ef5fae333407e49783fefaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16gqxtw9rx2tsx3elm8rlet6fxjkxzzusxlqjdn07ly5npzwegucqr45mgt op_cert: \xcbbfe0c27c4a904e7c726c13c084f9e024e437a0460777e6ea5beb8c6542633e op_cert_counter: 8