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 8558939 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 88108347 epoch_slot_no: 239547 block_no: 8558762 slot_leader_id: 4555611 size: 22868 time: 2023-03-24 16:17:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdcb3c9189a6b89051a027aa6b8a932d3289f55be25423cc5ebe493cac22e0dc1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g4szjxfzun99644w6xyx0855jzfnxp7ch3cz55d4uakl66xaw7hqh84zte op_cert: \xa33e3c428235214c7cedf8c78946b3e3ea31638d3d2b97e557cf1d371e03c243 op_cert_counter: 13