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 8560173 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 88134050 epoch_slot_no: 265250 block_no: 8559996 slot_leader_id: 5279773 size: 48053 time: 2023-03-24 23:25:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0fcfb14743b93b323e9e70dbfbe5906ba1609649d3d1d065ac2ff30fb9f9caeaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10h4ngjv2fn5saeft9j42r7qy5j0nwy8aftq3pe0era5xhgtenh6qlgu8j0 op_cert: \xcbcd051b370a3cfd142843e0c0f8ca60a16a6e6228d41021246c43ea8a4f37d9 op_cert_counter: 9