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 8558651 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 88102334 epoch_slot_no: 233534 block_no: 8558474 slot_leader_id: 6577561 size: 42162 time: 2023-03-24 14:37:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xce2157bd82634f9017d31cac14f8d679e75e3a31da50a4c6425850b73387cbf6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xqfrs3sws733ul64qne7dm57s5nv3dst90jugs5peth47kjvwuqchta5v op_cert: \x898a323d6fb275ba8c30cdd955b02e1dcfeb8fc8b5823c504084e507ba5c8013 op_cert_counter: 5