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 8143114 Details
Epoch: 381 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 79543431 epoch_slot_no: 314631 block_no: 8142937 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 20570 time: 2022-12-15 13:08:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x645390d7bd91222d83b3c0960ed4b5c47c5e7d9eb59e44de33789bcd1e27b70eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x9e68ccc2bace0ef3b8762cb95bb57eb196f58e9186c0c53df7644d329c827480 op_cert_counter: 12