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 8581696 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 88577170 epoch_slot_no: 276370 block_no: 8581519 slot_leader_id: 4573799 size: 4084 time: 2023-03-30 02:31:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe27a31583dc286f10f1d6ef5a4c970d74ab948982fc8ac49962ab9786435e3c8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p0r0r8enaa9fv40zc0hm9q92lpwd4glg2lgm7tg67zxaf5v075ssg8328n op_cert: \x0820ee1a1acf41d500abe88a83d127d2ddd70529ccdf95562046141fd8189ae8 op_cert_counter: 14