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 8558661 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 88102459 epoch_slot_no: 233659 block_no: 8558484 slot_leader_id: 4577190 size: 34891 time: 2023-03-24 14:39:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf49e328b983cae962e89685815f09b0dabf0804e15786932bdcc4cd79c0b2cdeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12nypp548uqajhg8trnwwsk7fvdp8ljg9murd03ncwwvkuhje675q2vlyss op_cert: \x4eb8f43fa90034829c83a16f17ebe56fb6bdcba378fa365a9b39798ce97c7b4e op_cert_counter: 13