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 8608594 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89130314 epoch_slot_no: 397514 block_no: 8608417 slot_leader_id: 4559410 size: 31461 time: 2023-04-05 12:10:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x953f3d7ec9404d59667d20861862168d6e4182c37f4da1adac5962dd8659c3a2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zull6yxhycymv7q0l4lkrzz8r0g7kcm8cghypcajrtvh90dy73wsu3hew2 op_cert: \xf1e9595268deb987ad73c49336d932948989a6617035c3d43b742f897952b5b7 op_cert_counter: 11