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 8221603 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 81156502 epoch_slot_no: 199702 block_no: 8221426 slot_leader_id: 7046900 size: 85272 time: 2023-01-03 05:13:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x88ddb6e8fa5cd3e2d7f0e0d51afcdb782cacd538a489cee124e13e66d2b0cc6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk197w95j9alkwt8l4g7xkccknhn4pqwx65c5saxnn5ej3cpmps72msgpw69d op_cert: \x9449f7a8439f200806419747303779b5a3e89f181e512ce643463566c0e04966 op_cert_counter: 1659973007