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 8609973 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 89158217 epoch_slot_no: 425417 block_no: 8609796 slot_leader_id: 5045242 size: 14335 time: 2023-04-05 19:55:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8dcd2473cd82d56d524e0cd2a979e36b2c2d7a84e0ed634bf4fc41aeba6a68f0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16u9vnslzgy03650yjltyft60mlschgp96zdd4np8ylkf5a8ugfrq8cq5dl op_cert: \x16bd0b48505795c40723cdbc821d5ec253c709b4b0f0104f0f488fa7b6ed0604 op_cert_counter: 12