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 8597685 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 41 slot_no: 88906726 epoch_slot_no: 173926 block_no: 8597508 slot_leader_id: 5152360 size: 84105 time: 2023-04-02 22:03:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73c86a62befe16ce1ac4ba6bdb39d99da247752728e3acd728d71a69fe8dfc05Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pmxyz8efuyj6eq6zkk373f28u47v06nwp5t59jr5fcmcusaazlmqhxu8k2 op_cert: \x7b6b05131d74b2b35b57e09b2a7019141c22516e2697fd2809e5b57a0904aefc op_cert_counter: 13