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 8597612 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 88905108 epoch_slot_no: 172308 block_no: 8597435 slot_leader_id: 6384519 size: 26853 time: 2023-04-02 21:36:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x13b69c28bf632dc0174280758133e9ac8486864ab1e57896b70b7331e2fb6baaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18drw4kq0p6325fyyn3vapt5dgte5rcda7ze7mzqxguxy9uq7t64qv55rql op_cert: \x4c72ef17d3b61bed1200e0dbc12901a7a673a76394a0e1dd67ee58189bf194a4 op_cert_counter: 8