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 8609531 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 41 slot_no: 89149038 epoch_slot_no: 416238 block_no: 8609354 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 78089 time: 2023-04-05 17:22:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x49f9e08b23b3e171c556ad1a28b41ad23d6d73874432cab36b92080095133601Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \xa718f59f0f87bae2deeb82c5174aa3eae1c50be149a57738fbd16565d0c8db7c op_cert_counter: 16