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 8558597 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 88101276 epoch_slot_no: 232476 block_no: 8558420 slot_leader_id: 4568166 size: 66118 time: 2023-03-24 14:19:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x39a03d5045ed973d46e19a48be1852ebf72ca5c31d0d5d9448abd6a847c78ed1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x23fpnnfh69ps2hvyszr7rd478s5gjkx7lh0epv7rdutuurtlr9q08qzt3 op_cert: \x7da5d077687f289cccc8d40f94324c0b3c3bc47b5b010dfcb9422c821f4d2fe2 op_cert_counter: 19