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 8560617 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 88143257 epoch_slot_no: 274457 block_no: 8560440 slot_leader_id: 5332010 size: 21616 time: 2023-03-25 01:59:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7ac18fcb6c6eb7b1a9cb5fcd8ef3aff11fa2857a19276cd308a01e7cb2c5ab28Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gfvj82r8yl7ffe5pg5w9cgys8dn77cjl0k4wqag8p0rn20ugrxgsxa26jz op_cert: \x7f8bc6817eaf145bef9cb8d1fdb7a5a04e5df0e89ca9cba10885322b7041b9da op_cert_counter: 12