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 8558617 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 88101661 epoch_slot_no: 232861 block_no: 8558440 slot_leader_id: 5908779 size: 21269 time: 2023-03-24 14:25:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3aa703bf8fe5f06f1eb42acc393f05d29f86984ceadb337116ee50a1b37d0e74Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13a25epkk7glsw3ffrlggcvwg69gmpcheeuev5dej7qqpxsx55sxqap2xu9 op_cert: \x6913eda16dbc26199a77be923f577ea5f8e84b7abcfee583fb4c41cfb873cd7b op_cert_counter: 9