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 8458588 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86049224 epoch_slot_no: 340424 block_no: 8458411 slot_leader_id: 5279499 size: 20485 time: 2023-02-28 20:18:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x11f3e8a052eb3a59ebbd71c155675df89a7bb1cf6ea490bb346e8baf5524ef8eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19afdfw47djw9usk607zq4mq6v3xzh8xznxehjsl06069fd09dydq8lp6wg op_cert: \x807bf8f3cf9e9e4519f4816aca4a16199bc7f8d1648d1f710bf729ad6ebaa156 op_cert_counter: 9