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 8609996 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 89158645 epoch_slot_no: 425845 block_no: 8609819 slot_leader_id: 5638558 size: 25654 time: 2023-04-05 20:02:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa242069fdb06b6c2b115c7fabca77cf9ca14668a73c3fb91d48d87b25d2f174cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdpzyavn2r3sdmt5m75vw45txnw2swa3t9jtvzt3gh0nxrlhycrq0xfsuu op_cert: \xfb39cf4ed3d4ba5bc1534f970ac476f726e8d0f99f888f71e3696ac320398033 op_cert_counter: 12