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 8559827 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88126650 epoch_slot_no: 257850 block_no: 8559650 slot_leader_id: 6985893 size: 37157 time: 2023-03-24 21:22:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3078d527ec188f318cb91e975dc1a49dea5408711c4ecf8136250acc5aed8488Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qngzne283hwrc4xnk8f7psx5qhkg3pu7rdcu2nr0m2fwwlc23y2s52g7wk op_cert: \xf1493f7bab2f87c0b3a05771f83b5f1d3030985c768b0f87c42c41d042729668 op_cert_counter: 5