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 8598306 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 88919634 epoch_slot_no: 186834 block_no: 8598129 slot_leader_id: 5263695 size: 21974 time: 2023-04-03 01:38:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbb661867e27d5ad3e73e9e2d2ba60b72a35ee39a0ffee7a6266efcf9b9040de5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gmfsf3c6rz0a2f7tzq09uxlykek5v6elnydn42sreq65d4vaaqzscusnvn op_cert: \x242ede2e065e84dcb094a8239aa1433e446e444feb2c58e32d1bdf54c16cdeff op_cert_counter: 11