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 8609609 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 89150558 epoch_slot_no: 417758 block_no: 8609432 slot_leader_id: 4567594 size: 7956 time: 2023-04-05 17:47:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x71afa1aa3e5251a5a0ec0eb05812a3a03d204ece965ade9c42e9aa438f4c365bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk182ttxy4dhxyvmkhxd3zac54f5zwqz7hhnvru8prax2udfcsve8dq8m6h68 op_cert: \x91fccd976f35b582691da701e5ea250b3dec7a6d76acb1d058b7fb33df4aec62 op_cert_counter: 13