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 8580651 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 88556901 epoch_slot_no: 256101 block_no: 8580474 slot_leader_id: 4572864 size: 22553 time: 2023-03-29 20:53:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x591a6f434e7b01f44e8d928e4850039a0b4e12d8455d9fa6158755d07fa95b1eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dvumtjl4aw02v0wscezwtq93m47er2zktlwvha2s20fcrd9hdr3q2zsxy6 op_cert: \xd3788b9a99ec0a8a9f16b1c29433b04030b1a93e5278773f38ebd872fba6836f op_cert_counter: 12