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 8576461 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 52 slot_no: 88471365 epoch_slot_no: 170565 block_no: 8576284 slot_leader_id: 7046714 size: 87384 time: 2023-03-28 21:07:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x059614ca7a41b02cf3a9719fff1b0936b4c754dfc1ee62ecc0b70f289bb955bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pp8s76kxdlhl907rurnja2cyq4u62t6cx2u57eg70a7uy8p6uq9qurplqq op_cert: \x42a4dac98e91c524049fb9fceaa7a88c494f822df2d5221869755160e2318e66 op_cert_counter: 1659973257