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 8568345 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 88302973 epoch_slot_no: 2173 block_no: 8568168 slot_leader_id: 5688135 size: 58943 time: 2023-03-26 22:21:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x300b05e1f325da09cb7e84091e8934c4211718b570ca5046c6cc4f03104cafaaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ckvw7v2qd0d2ksjg9cltds27cr5wymncw40gudam5xzkrmjy8vvsyg4525 op_cert: \xba1e265ea73756db4ea10acbea46dd36e5cd75bc1c0b400b3d4a96df7843b5e8 op_cert_counter: 10