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 8609683 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 89152326 epoch_slot_no: 419526 block_no: 8609506 slot_leader_id: 4593473 size: 249 time: 2023-04-05 18:16:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x60fa4c6ceee4e8332427898d2ed9c2bc6d3f1c7383e01ed6adee19fe05ea3d67Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dhzcqm0dmfxtcyd9ttqv73cvqzjq0cz72dem6x2ht3wv9fu4rkns9xg4rj op_cert: \xd4a3437a4c5eda94398300185367a2de80f3fe40ca5913f5dfe3630466e88088 op_cert_counter: 13