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 8558496 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 88098783 epoch_slot_no: 229983 block_no: 8558319 slot_leader_id: 8526618 size: 12737 time: 2023-03-24 13:37:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f3ffcb4792815924c248455903abc390b2374cea23d51c815032912e971483aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xkknefdcqjrgxjpltns9372x3wafyu4dqc6nkz50f7hyxe4ny9hsfhptzl op_cert: \x738e389af32ad7c482c206ebdc95d3910ac3d5ad321c67af72851ac1e02c6d82 op_cert_counter: 0