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 8559697 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88123976 epoch_slot_no: 255176 block_no: 8559520 slot_leader_id: 4559781 size: 21893 time: 2023-03-24 20:37:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f2ac66e97ced90aef8272adce4b57c9a9e49234b26195aaa01af57607b59c9aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mepfv252axgj9nhhqpn4kp0qxkmu8pu0hkgj43aq6whk2vrmp2qse6tsnf op_cert: \xd5c398ce35a0cb8cd8fa29e6ff3fbc51482d2748810f7506621d6b850aefeba3 op_cert_counter: 12