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 8596678 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88885254 epoch_slot_no: 152454 block_no: 8596501 slot_leader_id: 8024933 size: 21895 time: 2023-04-02 16:05:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x482902a5842038debc9df27b697715eb6dd7161aa31053468ee39e8ce2fae1f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12gqclqg6qgx00t4c2rskhgyj0kpdfgl3zcqpk08h0fykapqsw2xqptx9qs op_cert: \x3a96532da011e11b287de329a7d5b5959085d9f677fa18e072874eb6b7f41633 op_cert_counter: 5