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 8558616 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 88101646 epoch_slot_no: 232846 block_no: 8558439 slot_leader_id: 5654323 size: 52864 time: 2023-03-24 14:25:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x749f7fafb4734c6ea1fbc3775431e61a977271523d1d4755ce3a73ea145df5f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lwwpzndl0gt06x34p2uv2frqfhp2ngjeag7py7xfh6tv60fpj74qm7teue op_cert: \x4008aa050803fc96227cb5d061580174d8257d6aeee480c1e86a5f1cf5774ed1 op_cert_counter: 9