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 8559608 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 88121970 epoch_slot_no: 253170 block_no: 8559431 slot_leader_id: 6979772 size: 37610 time: 2023-03-24 20:04:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6b2c889f3d3813a3cc8f85057d53bcbb84ecc48fcb8e04a829e17e4fabd73a7fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yy2mt9g4r50hm0grakjgyg7j7n9h5w7jlylanm7j0md9zt46kdjs6ga6hs op_cert: \xd2e62c1ef769bfa7cce9d9b557cae63a61efc213096a41cbe295750678c68fb0 op_cert_counter: 17