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 8609474 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89147999 epoch_slot_no: 415199 block_no: 8609297 slot_leader_id: 4555994 size: 69225 time: 2023-04-05 17:04:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf78fe28e54c4aa7fcc62498e28b2711cd0e8ff99629292b452efa21a3e2da2a4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sv5wq84j45knwywjp8ht98y42rt5s8gqe3v3c3qzadgjue9cqepsje98ar op_cert: \x1eb2828cfc2389f02b55532fda4dfbcc913577c87dcedff29359253d2b6b7537 op_cert_counter: 16