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 8580714 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 88558008 epoch_slot_no: 257208 block_no: 8580537 slot_leader_id: 5369270 size: 36248 time: 2023-03-29 21:11:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcb996b3ffd5de362b943b7d2fc2c0399dd684c6fcca9713c76ca6ebc433b4dfcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cqnf2qhdjc5ysfp8t26drmdjr5nru9yvy53shx3wp5rqnu59ljqs9r0yqv op_cert: \x66ad8c4436292faf7768f737284a72ce712611e617dc534655b0edd41b554804 op_cert_counter: 8