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 8609680 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 89152302 epoch_slot_no: 419502 block_no: 8609503 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 5186 time: 2023-04-05 18:16:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x19c9d3680a89d11e2241bf57db75b24d2defea729deb2dff0ce3ca071618e6b2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x8b486c1c6aa26f5271f7d4e6e02d52e63f4a5a2dff03f891c86ea4a4da1dba0e op_cert_counter: 11