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 8558748 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 88104218 epoch_slot_no: 235418 block_no: 8558571 slot_leader_id: 4556294 size: 50890 time: 2023-03-24 15:08:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x723072011ab528525f6b154dc5de3582ce458122cc4a31608c2c9b4da165532bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rgedf5ehp45jtrgkp8rmr225x6y3rd2tl5jp9m2s048s0u5nnzlqcqfq3t op_cert: \xce78c97fbf845a1156265085235165edf74cfb860d2a04f43ca5892193ee4c30 op_cert_counter: 18