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 8576817 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 88478599 epoch_slot_no: 177799 block_no: 8576640 slot_leader_id: 4710136 size: 41174 time: 2023-03-28 23:08:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4aaac811bd5937d4a0db6b830b02c94b33206f79c3ddf108159ec4aed9e3ae32Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16ddt5jrstu5jt22fphm72suvx2645yctfplna088tk6zpshsqtsq7s6v78 op_cert: \x9b6353b0e046345cf047feea0fc793323ac8b192e16b07c241740d7771436c48 op_cert_counter: 12