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 8609908 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89156866 epoch_slot_no: 424066 block_no: 8609731 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 16968 time: 2023-04-05 19:32:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9d2c798d5dac08348bf6d1f1f9e60b22e5649adb5f0de2246a0268b899fc4a29Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \xa718f59f0f87bae2deeb82c5174aa3eae1c50be149a57738fbd16565d0c8db7c op_cert_counter: 16