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 8609521 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 89148823 epoch_slot_no: 416023 block_no: 8609344 slot_leader_id: 6670159 size: 48330 time: 2023-04-05 17:18:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x136633d1801976215e3033b1a035fdcff4a724fd3cb0bd8d21a92e58fd9fe94aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wehqg7g35emwmtc5hr6wxwmpeuxd073r59c044y9q6gxqhwcp65sjzpkht op_cert: \x7b947685e5c6cfc5f875acafd83e426e001ee9604280ae4dcb07bf17ae5a356b op_cert_counter: 9