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 8585998 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 88663571 epoch_slot_no: 362771 block_no: 8585821 slot_leader_id: 7356967 size: 9271 time: 2023-03-31 02:31:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe046b66b83d24215697616ed5b8c6ad6dbd3f8e373fe66a82192e6f4bacafefeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17h65ynw5n8lv5mux0gn645yd82prtqj2a0f85u6rdp05e045050qawtgmm op_cert: \xbf18fe8e98dd149bd5368cb25df33b348f70a89549b6284ffb265645b8d62cb0 op_cert_counter: 1659975132