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 8609837 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 89155562 epoch_slot_no: 422762 block_no: 8609660 slot_leader_id: 5654323 size: 23052 time: 2023-04-05 19:10:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf44a1c880bf64f5e45c0799760fcde5ee17ae49572c6853ace6e073e9eb4bda3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lwwpzndl0gt06x34p2uv2frqfhp2ngjeag7py7xfh6tv60fpj74qm7teue op_cert: \x4008aa050803fc96227cb5d061580174d8257d6aeee480c1e86a5f1cf5774ed1 op_cert_counter: 9