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 8580496 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 88553483 epoch_slot_no: 252683 block_no: 8580319 slot_leader_id: 6998842 size: 84103 time: 2023-03-29 19:56:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdc299e887cb7a5e0c9ef1f3ccf5cf4ed4c47cc171366c17cd4f63ba91f929a6eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lmk2h9267lcn8ly404lu9zerqdhxl7wce4cav63lplxcxzq6e5ssgc8h2a op_cert: \xdc4c0e9d0bc2fd3b885cb1fe399c6b6c9c6220a09a5d24b33eb111e1123cc7a7 op_cert_counter: 4