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 8709616 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 91214763 epoch_slot_no: 321963 block_no: 8709439 slot_leader_id: 4562285 size: 5998 time: 2023-04-29 15:10:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1ef16f0166ed4a14a9f0220fbed789ca6324949f4aac82d87d1b59bf9372b8bfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vxkyne4ftwjz4vlla756mlfqrmzwx35mkhk7d993njzmceksfp2q3kp8d4 op_cert: \x3e9197f7bc0e83ccc680080ab3e8bfcdf95492145e924454e71dba38864f74c3 op_cert_counter: 16