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 8597840 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 88909665 epoch_slot_no: 176865 block_no: 8597663 slot_leader_id: 5688135 size: 9890 time: 2023-04-02 22:52:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8595a7af249c88ba20af74fdf0eabcfb732de03769c88c15344ac55166456ecfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ckvw7v2qd0d2ksjg9cltds27cr5wymncw40gudam5xzkrmjy8vvsyg4525 op_cert: \xba1e265ea73756db4ea10acbea46dd36e5cd75bc1c0b400b3d4a96df7843b5e8 op_cert_counter: 10