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 8580523 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 88553969 epoch_slot_no: 253169 block_no: 8580346 slot_leader_id: 7685981 size: 9834 time: 2023-03-29 20:04:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf802ac927868024f3c607d497d011b2e4d135044ab24f7d35a6f602d529265eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12k09rgxmqslmneexx8mgakwumk4gfe3dkn8ntta25zjhz0a4zmaq07th89 op_cert: \x2e7986f4fb6f15a73030261990e716275340608206f7d33399144e8aa81fa662 op_cert_counter: 13