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 8559657 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 88123150 epoch_slot_no: 254350 block_no: 8559480 slot_leader_id: 4981426 size: 29174 time: 2023-03-24 20:24:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46dbcb2e1704201495b662ddb781383ea8eb38aed4a49a35812abe30041dea28Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1clpl885tz6tf5vnua0ad4kzzw5q85d3x4rz4v73fxwhj3t03zmyqtjzllc op_cert: \xa613283a3dde6efad6e505c20d4de0034dde21de95fa6296e2fed3048eafb1d2 op_cert_counter: 9