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 8609703 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 89152721 epoch_slot_no: 419921 block_no: 8609526 slot_leader_id: 4633520 size: 38709 time: 2023-04-05 18:23:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x585f40f3172c7c677b52699db1c63fdcc2de8ca00c3b6b6638960829576a293dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qtfnpacu3kmr92tyfztcswj44ee0pav0h47kmw7ylqh65r3lf5js7ut334 op_cert: \xc9fcad0e335fdf6854374b1aed113e53d1f3ce0416cdbec153d8a0b4811ac1cb op_cert_counter: 15