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 8217698 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 81078487 epoch_slot_no: 121687 block_no: 8217521 slot_leader_id: 4963072 size: 20136 time: 2023-01-02 07:32:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa2dfc645d43eaa5044b2c1d489de7dcace795e1c01ea3b649e9145c0c926385fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dl59hndn0nlz9hryax4rd6quq8njrjva9fx7aylj78spk3xks3dsugmqf7 op_cert: \xd808c111d4b20598dc5e0c1e8d3504f4024989ef286112ef7fc8819179140d65 op_cert_counter: 9