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 8558505 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 88099091 epoch_slot_no: 230291 block_no: 8558328 slot_leader_id: 5266600 size: 86183 time: 2023-03-24 13:43:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42e2c09b307d481a85a0d924bfacad89ea4ff1713345a1980cbd51d0bc6a0dd0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18qpdzp9xyy8qp24yv7hxwslvvlg0vl88t2j5ztg7cftqefdw4z9qe8d9e2 op_cert: \x9266ae72ecab18a7fabb1f3237bfb8c6d3b707d0371d37f9afced6ae8ae37c22 op_cert_counter: 22