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 8609548 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 89149258 epoch_slot_no: 416458 block_no: 8609371 slot_leader_id: 4731801 size: 19693 time: 2023-04-05 17:25:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0ea88b77ca0f21eb2cae614b6ae821d2c44725216a1c66e389f215077cbbeea9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wme2l30cnp46hvvyc68gqzzke0srfuwl7vld3s7usmp4cpvrcagq2hxlg0 op_cert: \x6095737ddf20bcbbc5fde59b8c995dfa298208efb549cf433d262a36d01fde9e op_cert_counter: 10