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 8458599 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 53 slot_no: 86049468 epoch_slot_no: 340668 block_no: 8458422 slot_leader_id: 7534301 size: 86725 time: 2023-02-28 20:22:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x45fecd7d036f2fb622c62d821dd61ebc46c429fd02c9ca78fb7ec0101c68c34eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hc8s85ktsjqvwdk0s5zfpz25smg9xx4mw0qf4cp6udaumw9mxw4sxse940 op_cert: \xe6fc87be3a1f33fa5fa18a85e7f6458dfc53c47cadd1b319df0496b0492d51e0 op_cert_counter: 6