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 8608604 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89130461 epoch_slot_no: 397661 block_no: 8608427 slot_leader_id: 8484595 size: 4305 time: 2023-04-05 12:12:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7a312b3937e86d03e7023efad550c46c79918a4ab039c1f4d324b6d4e26a181dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1q8tmx3rtp5k3k4q2vptjtcu7p56mrymwnsdyegfcmey4ju45mywqrwl8sd op_cert: \x6c2d6f0ba97dc365782eee025f0011b140405d90bf99ecab0c6de1c9a550e479 op_cert_counter: 0