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 8588874 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88722156 epoch_slot_no: 421356 block_no: 8588697 slot_leader_id: 5492955 size: 13931 time: 2023-03-31 18:47:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4cb54dc528fc52984a3c795b7b9ac5f91a4ad428730f6653f7be79e3d12aa46eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1szzlcr9mum90fzt5eukwc0ayl67v6y48g8v65pr8f9rc74uxp82qzvxklr op_cert: \xc86ebc8238246bd56545367cd21dbff50dd81f332122d98cecb713af72886f08 op_cert_counter: 11