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 8580726 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88558220 epoch_slot_no: 257420 block_no: 8580549 slot_leader_id: 4571822 size: 35741 time: 2023-03-29 21:15:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2a51f6c4d7ee2ff1e9dd0e74d4d3637188190b70f5510566dcf38dae812e391fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u8nxdxurzxp4ug6t489796wukth5f7wfu6l4m85cznha923ekllq0wct2e op_cert: \x66c094944f963eb0754b93d9cfcb3070922482e21540bf23f02b57c00ccfcf25 op_cert_counter: 21