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 8609040 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 89139630 epoch_slot_no: 406830 block_no: 8608863 slot_leader_id: 5386657 size: 33257 time: 2023-04-05 14:45:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfca1f54158ff04c8fc10f49cdb947986e86ecb8cc693e56ce821e5d6b0a2c789Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v22u6yh0vwf5frzmr0l2v34az2wfr3rnfs3n8q2sx05exz2l8dxsnumq9k op_cert: \x366b67b4630d6ec9b2b310591fff4a770e9b704502a814a2b597174fe099cb0e op_cert_counter: 17