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 8558647 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 88102236 epoch_slot_no: 233436 block_no: 8558470 slot_leader_id: 4626196 size: 40223 time: 2023-03-24 14:35:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0542be55001a6c8bf124a2c4ecaf0db5a071210463251c21eab7633cb451290cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pdppl3vx2wxj752ywjy6c963707waeqdn3pux4jywcx7dzeev8wsg0c7kl op_cert: \x42687348593e1c7920a84f7bf4a32f526174b9ad89e2f7189eb9bf64e491a9f0 op_cert_counter: 17