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 8609098 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89140797 epoch_slot_no: 407997 block_no: 8608921 slot_leader_id: 4983198 size: 62753 time: 2023-04-05 15:04:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaa65ab5e72b2e0477e2bb7143bacb3a662ef72145c2c19ba966ff940d68cf5beBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yx6wtxhrp052yghh6g62xzejg5494gmh7nfutzfaahrwl0smr4qsahevee op_cert: \xd58c1495fd7fb63d4c5b0d205617b5d10b5f0f99053726f99065ec60aebf1fea op_cert_counter: 13