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 8220498 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 44 slot_no: 81135090 epoch_slot_no: 178290 block_no: 8220321 slot_leader_id: 4581743 size: 84237 time: 2023-01-02 23:16:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e414b22e476fbf989f25adc982f4a5c756589adb96040d4ff9724b0da9c1ba2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10muay2s03zv47g7dqqqfkjk8w52a9auk6mz35vc79k7e70sw0jjq2qd234 op_cert: \x2aeeac9b604ae1ff2470c45b1735c1d126c83ec805fa89bfdfefeae92ae0ad64 op_cert_counter: 12