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 8597960 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 88911964 epoch_slot_no: 179164 block_no: 8597783 slot_leader_id: 4593560 size: 40676 time: 2023-04-02 23:30:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3ddffa220a3fa62ced96c5dc79ac9c9930f9995c96b7ac7992e647d43578c28eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ggwfsd8e8n2z46z6t660zkl3k8vg5yh07rcuhue6xq9lfl2vhscqmnehd4 op_cert: \xd722c73cd25a072252182678ae56e3b49a916c8afe064ea0e0d354bb1ed197ca op_cert_counter: 11