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 8597705 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 88907224 epoch_slot_no: 174424 block_no: 8597528 slot_leader_id: 4558321 size: 28981 time: 2023-04-02 22:11:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e60311e0dd129958a0cf5855920e0db649015686945d055d1a3d8f67a8ead92Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s4mtwaux6gujlh3f99tfg59ssunv7pr0khspnjd87evmh4fqkr7strnql2 op_cert: \x9590f21f994d4b727cf8eb9e0ed82b56257afdc429d7b3267ae71f97d4f672f5 op_cert_counter: 13