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 8568528 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 88306551 epoch_slot_no: 5751 block_no: 8568351 slot_leader_id: 5003307 size: 31709 time: 2023-03-26 23:20:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x85e72531274084eb55c46f826dccfdcab0f5f28f49e9c83378c37e35bbe6eeecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13tgw0f2eu2wmw25076k88jdqdd82k9sm5gl8uzqqfs7m8tgzh4mqustes0 op_cert: \xc5ac23882f9f738214c21f3b8d2292959c0cd05682413f21aa887b3726584528 op_cert_counter: 11