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 8566528 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88266276 epoch_slot_no: 397476 block_no: 8566351 slot_leader_id: 7314389 size: 39976 time: 2023-03-26 12:09:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9879d2bae2c4e1b10b450280a18447595b958095e9c85b0f448299a1906cefe4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zf938zt65k3x5ngdkunvcf7cza34w7tktt7x62hyw73aq569j0yqlzurm2 op_cert: \x80939848abec9c68577c813664b348d307de3c6036472f12bb89e44ccfe19948 op_cert_counter: 3