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 8597243 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 88897061 epoch_slot_no: 164261 block_no: 8597066 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 21116 time: 2023-04-02 19:22:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x491523d895f3291c44b01934e86170a055a472d55f45b4669520cc26c15a4aeaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \x2243de3a2f32b8da055fbe7311c9dc152187f5a399b042a3dbcac31dabb4dc71 op_cert_counter: 9