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 8144526 Details
Epoch: 381 Number of transactions in block: 104 slot_no: 79571928 epoch_slot_no: 343128 block_no: 8144349 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 88296 time: 2022-12-15 21:03:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x713bac7fbdd103e8aa4f049ae6273f33fcef90868059e832306c44b0459a6aeeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \x96bf24d2e878596f0f35a6ef7effa0351b68116b685044a163d0d78a41fae2e0 op_cert_counter: 12