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 8598682 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 88927396 epoch_slot_no: 194596 block_no: 8598505 slot_leader_id: 5335424 size: 6943 time: 2023-04-03 03:48:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x991b583c5a6b9993c24f0b2ca4f40a1b812360aaedf8a7ae37199b2719a09c49Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w720xwt585ud3qef62mfxvp47dxgrzqff6m3u9kklamyq79x27xsv4ljy3 op_cert: \xaf8312284b2e2224510b12c4b565a5bc5bb3978bebd2a3cc2d02871f79b05ba9 op_cert_counter: 13