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 8559851 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 88127132 epoch_slot_no: 258332 block_no: 8559674 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 38159 time: 2023-03-24 21:30:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x163360a857022e2bcd562a1063658fb2870dce0b07e243a90f02dcadc90fd455Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xce25514a79b55f1a48fd42ca66c5a72e80d7c0ba3cb344b520c958d880aa6cde op_cert_counter: 15