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 8597648 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 88905991 epoch_slot_no: 173191 block_no: 8597471 slot_leader_id: 4555994 size: 86434 time: 2023-04-02 21:51:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdd78e5a8d72ec5cbff766a3c01f136b8e2d546e07464afd0ef8a79381e55cf26Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sv5wq84j45knwywjp8ht98y42rt5s8gqe3v3c3qzadgjue9cqepsje98ar op_cert: \x1eb2828cfc2389f02b55532fda4dfbcc913577c87dcedff29359253d2b6b7537 op_cert_counter: 16