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 8597598 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 88904812 epoch_slot_no: 172012 block_no: 8597421 slot_leader_id: 4555464 size: 14646 time: 2023-04-02 21:31:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1e172ec7ad9faee0572532810c6e7845458872c56a3edb08876137770761b748Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t39ch0g3yx7y03ajax26g4ht3slu5h36v38dk6d8qj4l4dc2a5yq3rk9gd op_cert: \xe5c58c5790ca2541b75678f955c16ce22cf3bb498980d240fc486f343ba12281 op_cert_counter: 12