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 8609042 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 89139659 epoch_slot_no: 406859 block_no: 8608865 slot_leader_id: 5003953 size: 18014 time: 2023-04-05 14:45:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xef20de4cf7d42143599f819f0e933fbe777e9120ae921e7d5bc2558a6f57f2aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gkqrkn2hem278py2d44wak5496r4kmv3nu55mycwj7hf659evtqs5t750t op_cert: \xeb5327396126a6b383630d392a0799bcad1dce20fd13e899492cfab7b7456507 op_cert_counter: 11