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 8598136 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 88916071 epoch_slot_no: 183271 block_no: 8597959 slot_leader_id: 4576881 size: 18283 time: 2023-04-03 00:39:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1f5784d0731f7f97a29441a0b3f5503e77eebbf97a2b89a94387f3e51a3857a3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12985ww0m8m62c9swggnwnf36h38vc9jjd4mdvtcu3suuyvfcw97swhgdv8 op_cert: \x1dcd96dea7ec742075667f37e75ac0685e9043149153c32ca1ece73bc18d2e10 op_cert_counter: 11