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 8609228 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 89142980 epoch_slot_no: 410180 block_no: 8609051 slot_leader_id: 6271615 size: 18426 time: 2023-04-05 15:41:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x83e91cb49da053c61135602c2ed51f61beea2e179ddde5356e5ba0a4020913feBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yhrkcsnwt4afvqn0cy6xnrr939dp05mw90lsly7r03t7arh662eqltf6pw op_cert: \x80c09a40f728d1afc4d629f0c62f98d7581cf43a04b3293280db4ba5849aa4d4 op_cert_counter: 12