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 8598374 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 88921082 epoch_slot_no: 188282 block_no: 8598197 slot_leader_id: 5665391 size: 11058 time: 2023-04-03 02:02:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x50583bf23d56ab792f7287483c1300fb216743075504ee3b707c7feffe3d0c32Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1j0l7lqkn3m2y3r74kuzm93cacwt32lxk3n2xwncxvhj4upxmy2jqeeqlr0 op_cert: \x0f7661f02bfa83b716ea8504504089961a812d4371f4533237b0fba7117af3a2 op_cert_counter: 11