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 8218608 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81096314 epoch_slot_no: 139514 block_no: 8218431 slot_leader_id: 6368292 size: 28781 time: 2023-01-02 12:30:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf01d906ac27e6d28d19d94d21600dd42dd341e2b4c4e682d87275d3c1cba2ee3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u99yc8yfqns0qe992s70j4rrt0ygc64eu7plpvdtjgnj3f9pptzq9kx8t7 op_cert: \xe94043e1a9ffb22ac0ed5e01639f7f13db9b0354656fe45708f52639b02bcdb2 op_cert_counter: 6