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 8221684 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81158508 epoch_slot_no: 201708 block_no: 8221507 slot_leader_id: 4982211 size: 36754 time: 2023-01-03 05:46:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe0c4f9ac98e1756b07fd182432c0a92f0ace0ae637bde79d3346da97f3eb954aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk126y5wz3x9gneeamk24lqg9lxc58jtcfsklqrrstm3w76dfrfdjwsqvqj4d op_cert: \x95a057a64888e89e9cd7cd4c3d54fd8a8e9823f8fe69999125c83345281342a0 op_cert_counter: 11