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 8598731 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 88928384 epoch_slot_no: 195584 block_no: 8598554 slot_leader_id: 5386181 size: 9660 time: 2023-04-03 04:04:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcf08dfd7b300ecdd2a2ed69cd8460b2c3d83385996b0f64dc9e4bbd4fe44e1ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r84f2gs6v3hflrcu86cjjwquwzq7ytxmlmpj5h3tm843rnk49kts4gp44c op_cert: \x605dbbe35bd68f916ea70fce30418115049d8f0c6e73aac446b527fcb2bc9cf9 op_cert_counter: 10