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 8598461 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 88922885 epoch_slot_no: 190085 block_no: 8598284 slot_leader_id: 5493217 size: 48222 time: 2023-04-03 02:32:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3886d372a9f3a9fc5baa923f32140806973dfb3dfbe965d6a8acdf8e578963bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cakf4klps5d980wm8657zsmnen8rcwvka0nn3ug0eg0fj2ym4chqvn04ed op_cert: \x09afdfd76092ebd5275cb0b2b2caf273cb762f51d1fafd368004f516228eb6fe op_cert_counter: 8