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 8559671 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 88123370 epoch_slot_no: 254570 block_no: 8559494 slot_leader_id: 4984234 size: 35718 time: 2023-03-24 20:27:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x77fd81992b79dd4f6a494de9fa3da8fec88c4892e68e2a5ae43de71aee7a1ccbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gewqa80x8epjqakklng3rsn5az02e8wk7k9ypexa46uwf72h5r3s2q8uf4 op_cert: \xea116bfccfa3fb85b91fd7c03d0d9f4f2850fb9dd55a443093edf18590437188 op_cert_counter: 16