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 8597568 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 88903918 epoch_slot_no: 171118 block_no: 8597391 slot_leader_id: 4866814 size: 17061 time: 2023-04-02 21:16:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5b57ccf52ae9eead4fd805ea9c767ba53c3c341ade7909ee69076967a0b6bb52Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16fcq909w0f87q6ea03zydlkcxppuvj2adum9w7vktmq0yuyslrvsdwfmtc op_cert: \x9ff63c1cf56a51cf27e85074b5e9d64c80318fd0645bd116b0472957699101d5 op_cert_counter: 19