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 8588498 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 88714518 epoch_slot_no: 413718 block_no: 8588321 slot_leader_id: 5264753 size: 80457 time: 2023-03-31 16:40:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7e54dbba1e59e875947ca7d3af1dd2c3a6ee495f6ad3529b0be61b9bd6bcbebfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xzehcwa0uaeks58tdjw925x5wk5w76hf6nj659whyhh8j07302eqarh9g3 op_cert: \x03da97cf50c07a9134727e29831003ed438e1890369fdf2076df9304fe09f5c5 op_cert_counter: 12