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 8580322 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 88549693 epoch_slot_no: 248893 block_no: 8580145 slot_leader_id: 5845507 size: 17672 time: 2023-03-29 18:53:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x428dc8a4b8499ab3b47a553f03cd41206196831f65831c6f3d930826fdafe99cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1e59lkmrqvqhn04zpffhnuvsv2qqkwhq7g2mvqrs5ch32j06rg7fqt320z0 op_cert: \x9fada13ae96d4a2d8bc9781eb96a50ded19063020c3c5da9307a1332cfaefe0e op_cert_counter: 6