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 8596718 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 88886011 epoch_slot_no: 153211 block_no: 8596541 slot_leader_id: 4598725 size: 48776 time: 2023-04-02 16:18:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1971575cb6fc2bdf5224f121fd85bcc65f6705514b1746857bf046344746a09dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezeef5vfdy0nu0lfpkwxf6m7y4sg2m590dtd78zsjts59jskdttq2hyj4w op_cert: \x40677c848881c193ca2baf9b818e7a146915608bfb7c26dc0345afedbf044345 op_cert_counter: 13