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 8609540 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 89149130 epoch_slot_no: 416330 block_no: 8609363 slot_leader_id: 5051550 size: 3978 time: 2023-04-05 17:23:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68cbbcf9ea44047dc574a9c2abf3cb8962238e085e30c33cc8bd2d7eefa468e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19k8v3502qlrgvu7m2d3626xltyzwl27appag5kt6dd39m8vlptlquzuk09 op_cert: \x4b0c48b0dba731d50a634de560caeac1c065f10aa0b36d3e63a3a74bdf68ccf2 op_cert_counter: 11