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 8609723 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 89153179 epoch_slot_no: 420379 block_no: 8609546 slot_leader_id: 7779710 size: 12970 time: 2023-04-05 18:31:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c98b7f9c0c6f1afe3d4f2470275dd5a60882a02b00311a25ce303ca115fc16fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nu68pnt9ungyrgs0etkt758zmap8nx8l5cvl855fqtmrspg6fenqx6nh6f op_cert: \x5881b7c7bd0199a7abcda04dd88bd120b4add3dfd54bf506c34e709c10c24e73 op_cert_counter: 2