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 8559743 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 88125090 epoch_slot_no: 256290 block_no: 8559566 slot_leader_id: 4566298 size: 52128 time: 2023-03-24 20:56:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ed26db9783d3b7e7e04dec4159d14f438f1534bd8f1691e78d949c8cd952e4dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18jwugcagrtfvn0efq9pgpzt327vnqkwstxpqq84q3ndsjqu559lq9u8yv5 op_cert: \x30ace955a247032a6a2f81e64ebb2c678fbdba0b9c303756402c9296bcb71898 op_cert_counter: 13