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 8596040 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 88871187 epoch_slot_no: 138387 block_no: 8595863 slot_leader_id: 5959104 size: 22683 time: 2023-04-02 12:11:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa50e108e5d88a37aa89728b070c1634e19e2d24c3ef5b6f5c0bcf9a2e41b3260Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1msgxq9lg9jm35rru6lnngqhplytpsrjt6mdy7gyy9uvkrdapqk5qkse4sg op_cert: \x5c697bdb0ca92d15ebf6ed2cdc19c09d16fd1977df4b67f86e7466b5e18321b5 op_cert_counter: 7