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 8609726 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89153244 epoch_slot_no: 420444 block_no: 8609549 slot_leader_id: 6447407 size: 33475 time: 2023-04-05 18:32:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3fed1aff18cd5c0d403a85c7a367b91fabe1cacdb497bb8b45c15e736ab89a5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17s0c6llg4n528nceavvaxrlgekfxfqpjvd8rhwac5few2cny4g7spzt04t op_cert: \x37577140bcf9f10e69100135c64060b0891b89effa8d64b4a2245cada20c5927 op_cert_counter: 9