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 8221497 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 81154356 epoch_slot_no: 197556 block_no: 8221320 slot_leader_id: 5965784 size: 34532 time: 2023-01-03 04:37:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x558d5f081d28636b04b8ef23ec44495181959a8602871e18915cd0438ffeee6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16arvf7rxl7k787s5xu0ks3letxk4qasqkclg496gdpvkf080tz8sz5k325 op_cert: \x43ac3937e039fc0326bfcd0f083acc5faf0d111e7f442420aacdc5b9b9fb9ba4 op_cert_counter: 9