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 8609874 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 89156152 epoch_slot_no: 423352 block_no: 8609697 slot_leader_id: 6947244 size: 38011 time: 2023-04-05 19:20:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd21afb15cd0c9cdea032986434dd8a2407b5d161afc907d6dc4bef5b34fad37dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d97mnfm8cwwd9zy42acthdfrhgydkf50rv68u888tx6a3c7xey6qh45y5a op_cert: \x8398d226c44cf83a507412c5f4da58c048ea7a40c898156f8e5488d2f0ea45a9 op_cert_counter: 5