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 8609881 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89156433 epoch_slot_no: 423633 block_no: 8609704 slot_leader_id: 4768924 size: 9154 time: 2023-04-05 19:25:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2161f5f7debba338fe1514772b233057339454ec0aa941b7a6237c6ebc5387f9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qn8s87qr08428hgpclq333a8hk8mpp3gtcfj7nte3ujpdz7psduqdxm48w op_cert: \x909af7be2d4afad079feac5401c5f44e164d462a1fc223655165b93b7ffb5de5 op_cert_counter: 16