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 8609421 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 89146975 epoch_slot_no: 414175 block_no: 8609244 slot_leader_id: 5047313 size: 26350 time: 2023-04-05 16:47:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8c58e897b8ac644f5ec6ec7d0d86d26f6c0674eafc877adf666ca529b5feffeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cwukgz49fxl6w6g9wtq4kc7eptuyxv66kgfc7heyv0c3etn579sqg9djx9 op_cert: \x400b5fc4437d7e9c2828b32e5617ac94b4152f52419c68c8602c04316da0fa80 op_cert_counter: 10