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 8558873 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 88107045 epoch_slot_no: 238245 block_no: 8558696 slot_leader_id: 4576802 size: 18509 time: 2023-03-24 15:55:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xea46082df8be530755f1954f44f7b012a96c0f76be83deab25f181ebab7f171eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w8xts7fy2y9nrva4hdn302wq9rmq06ptp82s3m5tqs3qfsj8cl6qy0dyjj op_cert: \xbcc7ed7eac0955bc4a651927f5f7f6fdff4e67e3fa8679198fe8b9228a5c9440 op_cert_counter: 14