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 8609166 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 89141957 epoch_slot_no: 409157 block_no: 8608989 slot_leader_id: 5512512 size: 32465 time: 2023-04-05 15:24:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x54434059c9a0af5c9ab66dcec728f9e5a23c38c35b3f57074e2b6f269b515d4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ujzmswdqmjh5v70tpvzg4fkdnrau5xwnktthmuucq9fl3ugee6gs9gg52h op_cert: \x816a8ba46c32e337c4fc1e0823b720219fa4732c8f7d234d81778cdf620e6558 op_cert_counter: 9