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 8558523 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 88099479 epoch_slot_no: 230679 block_no: 8558346 slot_leader_id: 8484836 size: 36113 time: 2023-03-24 13:49:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9af40ed42db27e45f6c1b688f37046c85cb3ae5c54c6831d4a3374029bcaaa14Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fg58zges00zkj26lphma2h3g4sy2dsuefy3u6euywz69q9aaj5vqz97jx8 op_cert: \x56efac3b165f1539da5572fa98e0019cbca3ec45a0a2f810616bcad285478996 op_cert_counter: 0