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 8580721 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 88558135 epoch_slot_no: 257335 block_no: 8580544 slot_leader_id: 7046472 size: 76391 time: 2023-03-29 21:13:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1294fb598e8d6b645ea7e82a8b6b538d7e2258eb8e7a80df3e8fee14fc50c12aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ggupvuw2683qe4m9qpg9ahk48ecr29x2azcjy92v5h529c82z8es9kssun op_cert: \xeaa9b93bf30c807d8ed7295ccc2840ebeba0c119fd0f0d1323220776d7b7d133 op_cert_counter: 1659972757