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 8409097 Details
Epoch: 394 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 85032919 epoch_slot_no: 188119 block_no: 8408920 slot_leader_id: 5449482 size: 20465 time: 2023-02-17 02:00:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x21f80550268447ef268e70235ee00372e0d104135127d11cd1033c2fe7209d7fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lhar3jlzz9qhqr96p26ptqxm43nwwnt8dtq58yzwpcvks9flgnjqcfqt2u op_cert: \x9217a6bdf7ec28529269f16df6ba1ef8623f266b2ec378763a933cfde709a900 op_cert_counter: 9