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 8601686 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 88989437 epoch_slot_no: 256637 block_no: 8601509 slot_leader_id: 5471731 size: 74879 time: 2023-04-03 21:02:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaacd506c921c0b8c19a274a16bed0bca9426f199a541c906f1078dbad65d4dc6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xxqfg0zefcws6ahuexzncssy70003m2f9qttcczvndsr6n037dsqrmnv4m op_cert: \x4036174e3b6e026199a83be085607ea2553986b5c60de5b57e58522cdc1030bd op_cert_counter: 18