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 8597721 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 88907550 epoch_slot_no: 174750 block_no: 8597544 slot_leader_id: 6177465 size: 40726 time: 2023-04-02 22:17:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x047fc444a6245e184376bb4609d4e7b75b7a74eb9a505a2b3fca12310a0b42e6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fwgp57tcfeh8ukaelcrc7h8um9934ucr278r7s9sp3tla3p6t82qhr6xmu op_cert: \x438204be2ae72f0ff9cf58151b54f8cc7f0b7ef9cd73b29af8574ea1a116f7a2 op_cert_counter: 15