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 8576608 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88474421 epoch_slot_no: 173621 block_no: 8576431 slot_leader_id: 5369783 size: 34083 time: 2023-03-28 21:58:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6a8577285c3f440eb46cfdfa1f78ba4cf743ffb7fc375c4e52c6c0703ff34b7bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1as9t8jgwwcw2d7pfmktqlct98rgap0td0hs6kckqjr3xkvhq4tzqf2ghxw op_cert: \xc5019eda2f5941b7c769a7f933c6cce13f5e4c32af2b7dcb4b202dfa7522e007 op_cert_counter: 9