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 8596697 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 88885583 epoch_slot_no: 152783 block_no: 8596520 slot_leader_id: 5386015 size: 81696 time: 2023-04-02 16:11:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x985c88a9e360ce4ca8823b4bbe5950ce280f087612a5b3b21a844a0819ec18eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19rxk9w50ts57vyanf938ha2vf097mlutpmv5pkqwuz7gkvs05vtss3pren op_cert: \x629db17328db604889f807b5f0e7448f6e919ce8df4771bb423c0e175752acd2 op_cert_counter: 10