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 8558717 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 88103597 epoch_slot_no: 234797 block_no: 8558540 slot_leader_id: 5151828 size: 16560 time: 2023-03-24 14:58:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73df0ee51f1b11658c92a35cb4b32c29347bc9a6bbe787e682df6a3d789c70a3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15k7lt8kzscha56uz6a5n882qupvu2hpe69jt4p2x35ug4lpj63qswls803 op_cert: \x2f9e3fd5c0e79525222efcdf8133ac3efd68a7c673b02ad9f6723b06d96827cd op_cert_counter: 7