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 8588426 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 88712981 epoch_slot_no: 412181 block_no: 8588249 slot_leader_id: 6574510 size: 48740 time: 2023-03-31 16:14:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x377d96f046ecdc34c80947462767199231244570d54cfcc76e9d491fa00692caBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16uujxtr48w5e83rwc5vtwlhnqk7mx0u4ctk0v6u6nj3m8wmey7tsk4qswm op_cert: \xa5c893e3040fd9282f92b7d59d902a606c83668ab172aaf99e9f96edb163ec3c op_cert_counter: 5