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 8597718 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 88907462 epoch_slot_no: 174662 block_no: 8597541 slot_leader_id: 5098945 size: 5879 time: 2023-04-02 22:15:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdb0d5c68b4d3a23d71e92be0879c2a9e0c57c0d53aabab5af7d8cced02ec9929Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hpnf7ytfvtq7h5ns5zcqg6yxrjg34kkfj5njmgs8hjxtfle6qrnsash3xy op_cert: \x4dd9aff5233bc37c122bd05e07c45938c9388d8c41a8478353e2a1df3cc22693 op_cert_counter: 10