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 8558598 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 88101291 epoch_slot_no: 232491 block_no: 8558421 slot_leader_id: 7397135 size: 8256 time: 2023-03-24 14:19:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x211883875a97cf2f190524a4469ae57ad360ec3171920230f86f16a8618bdae3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdc5lxxeuftsmvyl3psfp5yp6p28pyjsqtgpt3glpjtx9upk76yqdnzm0m op_cert: \x37fd6088d853288759df1e24d48a6e24cbdae9704b66c250936266f8728a2000 op_cert_counter: 3