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 8609142 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89141494 epoch_slot_no: 408694 block_no: 8608965 slot_leader_id: 4581221 size: 8457 time: 2023-04-05 15:16:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x102a6771d778eb678ec44c7a255030019c8139de21802a3b7eae0ed3f5c1c666Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqmks9nnl8er83vfpzcdfnw59azlsnmghwcv3umg2uh9g83u58uqnrtmn2 op_cert: \x75af53c3d1c4ff45960ac245cb3a3a77deda43728b8bff7d782128d990f925f5 op_cert_counter: 12