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 8597458 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 88901554 epoch_slot_no: 168754 block_no: 8597281 slot_leader_id: 4559018 size: 6958 time: 2023-04-02 20:37:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc8bc6f43c0e5052ed3f26bab39b952e556bd2a65e4e7022002bc1f4fa4d3aa3aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1275ne75t4t30x824ctc0t6evdlxf4n8f5er029ud9ezykh3xaj0sej30wk op_cert: \xda564305c28b138e25a39648f2ed88d8ecae4f2bde90e2ae122c3ad994252597 op_cert_counter: 17