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 8588528 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88715008 epoch_slot_no: 414208 block_no: 8588351 slot_leader_id: 4614591 size: 16950 time: 2023-03-31 16:48:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaa1c468e2376bc365e33c02a2df61e56949b7b19c001a32c3e42e4f93a0d966eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lnjfdgme34cun04rzmng683dq8u37wpu20ygrc0vz2fkun7jjmrsdaa3dx op_cert: \x728b8243d59a66c3f43eb87354ee874601e5e98e6608db42ad8c2a49f3454efb op_cert_counter: 20