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 8609513 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 89148688 epoch_slot_no: 415888 block_no: 8609336 slot_leader_id: 5101102 size: 45966 time: 2023-04-05 17:16:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x859ff23f35133adf19bda8b26094923a7bf40118fc956a27957133a44b3ef31dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17azdx6gkaw43xfyvm9mts359xvzx2ezwhdd397xlvy74a9wzaqaq5rvhd2 op_cert: \x04ecf157c6f480ff4afb5722612b77a7d0a09b81120f3ecb2896da871a1bfcaa op_cert_counter: 11