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 8609349 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 89145355 epoch_slot_no: 412555 block_no: 8609172 slot_leader_id: 7897322 size: 88209 time: 2023-04-05 16:20:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1970052e253c78901a3297de7f7e12bb57061eb225d13f6436a90c27e71b91c1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kwuaxe3d34my778e4fwyewhtuj7s3rnenvyny4pa0qjdf382tycq8dqdm8 op_cert: \x482f01c74649b607a78d03cebb04397b4bb94f2d231434f7f74eb4f128dfe3ab op_cert_counter: 2