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 8599616 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 88947369 epoch_slot_no: 214569 block_no: 8599439 slot_leader_id: 4595854 size: 24762 time: 2023-04-03 09:21:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9501d3b2875ea7fbf41c0557e50a86aaae8f8f7ac04cf5698bf5c1239e54afe7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n4ml366004vvzm25cutqk0x2jpftcxtf29kdmazvgzueal5wztyslf05tq op_cert: \xb7df862e5957cd52cb6f0a9379223a37416326de097d82d073ea4cf457155345 op_cert_counter: 12