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 8609653 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 89151544 epoch_slot_no: 418744 block_no: 8609476 slot_leader_id: 5279424 size: 16058 time: 2023-04-05 18:03:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5a951d13edd552fa864b35e9a87fc7760672ccab07ee91eacb1d7274c94a3bbaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p47uy3d4f4xezthhfxqdjtlc63m76tpaj25p4u7tw4fhc6p0raushsdgg5 op_cert: \x0c39a2d26eadc702454426f6e98a78d40cbc1311cf694f28038e15ddd8c3c38c op_cert_counter: 9