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 8609743 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 89153691 epoch_slot_no: 420891 block_no: 8609566 slot_leader_id: 5326616 size: 66066 time: 2023-04-05 18:39:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x16a9034bfabaa3653bb092f223f59c52b0f1e691d2fdc14ac8d324357d98b5afBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dleklwlv9zy7rjvh73fhwjwae4t6ehhy6mtgh7xkpg9jne3r9knq8yacqq op_cert: \x43e1a70bffa78229043549e28e39db00a1548c5e953fd4b7522593a4470ea177 op_cert_counter: 8