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 8599836 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 88952350 epoch_slot_no: 219550 block_no: 8599659 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 20431 time: 2023-04-03 10:44:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf4931ac930c196fe9d486ff4e0c89602d26f5863783b5ee530e6a4fbeb76384cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x4e05ef252feae9999b42f99b515c0e3ec786ac9347ebb40928697b2d73be4376 op_cert_counter: 14