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 8596685 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 88885369 epoch_slot_no: 152569 block_no: 8596508 slot_leader_id: 4560105 size: 77665 time: 2023-04-02 16:07:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x340252ad3dab915759d0f3fcfa7ff114d36f5dee702efed685dacbc19f841afeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxp8x97dg35jcw5y3n0xhfjm0w06lhu9qja77pej40hhl3a246msxfe0j3 op_cert: \xa9b08b02e98c02bc8ee3e3e18c0d7b87f6b3d1074148cf4173f157674feb2804 op_cert_counter: 15