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 8580471 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 88552859 epoch_slot_no: 252059 block_no: 8580294 slot_leader_id: 4556157 size: 58177 time: 2023-03-29 19:45:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46fd0ec03e52b2c3fab7f393cb62be8744c3526f682a0ff175a14ab3f7e560a9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14sh5zmrke03tmsucrwuz5r0e7ehgva2q5dxq8e7wxqe3af2f7ezq8e47h6 op_cert: \x373db5391816d884e73f93aae851d75dcff8c974966d07e3ff3f7bb1128e264e op_cert_counter: 15