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 8609297 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89144289 epoch_slot_no: 411489 block_no: 8609120 slot_leader_id: 4555865 size: 59055 time: 2023-04-05 16:03:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x185c99fccc240d85c3ee79336239a699ed5f4b2ec0acb68583ca1a5a70b37fd3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y6rlw79mmm0pjw2n29w0rjr5vgqsrje3nasr3elt2kvm0v9g0z5q40m3d2 op_cert: \xaf539d895e7a2bee728db11421c52153c97185505708b44448b1381fc2d3b3d9 op_cert_counter: 13