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 8580613 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 88556029 epoch_slot_no: 255229 block_no: 8580436 slot_leader_id: 4609504 size: 34404 time: 2023-03-29 20:38:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x815ff89445014ab67f1266d555456f7aec96d4f14d3c0b50f50d2509f577ede9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1973re7lsj6va8q8ly4tpedu9hr9mc28wehfwvhqszd3u48kndatszu3d8w op_cert: \x3cf0970360a1efd6fa0b32785682d5ce8f1373058ae80783a24b4fff04a805b6 op_cert_counter: 12