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 8558678 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 88102793 epoch_slot_no: 233993 block_no: 8558501 slot_leader_id: 4559781 size: 54088 time: 2023-03-24 14:44:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xab3335cc7be2d76fffab2dd6f3def76514171d451b4c29658494249a972f33b9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mepfv252axgj9nhhqpn4kp0qxkmu8pu0hkgj43aq6whk2vrmp2qse6tsnf op_cert: \xd5c398ce35a0cb8cd8fa29e6ff3fbc51482d2748810f7506621d6b850aefeba3 op_cert_counter: 12