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 8596445 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 88880079 epoch_slot_no: 147279 block_no: 8596268 slot_leader_id: 4962621 size: 20482 time: 2023-04-02 14:39:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x40eadf58fb06fe5a052ebea0fcf44cb2d313b3398f7ead81b5c52e1933951c57Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qs40s2r4qhygpq8va07ntwrpptd7ak6vnpskmqqctdz5d5z9y6ysv6ext5 op_cert: \x8b462c8dbe72e7d948c1d8c8d8f841b2c1534d1283018e5d211c72b590d30df1 op_cert_counter: 9