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 8609281 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89144007 epoch_slot_no: 411207 block_no: 8609104 slot_leader_id: 4556014 size: 26657 time: 2023-04-05 15:58:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x57e05db721a90a79feb4902a2ecabd4bee23c07497f7f6ed1d652d5e777839bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1elepmm7z2v8strsztf4wsfldmzfetskdn73al09qnjeuhtvps4ss8c57cq op_cert: \x3729269dd3e48c4e68f38378b2c3fe2179d9644a5b53368b2fea22ca54af504b op_cert_counter: 17