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 8596349 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88878109 epoch_slot_no: 145309 block_no: 8596172 slot_leader_id: 4588020 size: 31227 time: 2023-04-02 14:06:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd513c1cc89ef69dc20f7197245ea9f19102dd4523b70e68c006676a3f147eb9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v38ah9nkpaw4799796l5ypvdyrusx8pedyktw4srzj3fc8ksa40sl0vmvd op_cert: \xe11c43f7953de45e8993952a7a0f265a2aa614dc8dde92f4bc3f0edc6e6b1d3b op_cert_counter: 22