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 8609172 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89142048 epoch_slot_no: 409248 block_no: 8608995 slot_leader_id: 5007924 size: 19943 time: 2023-04-05 15:25:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4f1e993754a4733757dad97f480d0a817408f8a54b78c3fe021eda5fe06c561bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c8l0gs0ycxze6dstt9akzszc40at6tyyfkavh0tvp5p6pnn62qes0uz966 op_cert: \x36d43ca7917180f8c23c1fda8f492d7190a2f224cfe8aaff1a2589ab1c5e29d7 op_cert_counter: 9