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 8609617 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89150696 epoch_slot_no: 417896 block_no: 8609440 slot_leader_id: 7313560 size: 18220 time: 2023-04-05 17:49:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf075e457393b856256626fca5096ed388f780c7c48e041ddb98c896963381778Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k2c6mqyj645kdj0gnad5k27ys8wvau73z28fp4z5rmdx3kh0q7fsvt03qu op_cert: \xe1894141de0cc60d7b6dc5e5e312f438ca958f45e21fb6202d7e33402715dc1d op_cert_counter: 7