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 8231549 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 81358051 epoch_slot_no: 401251 block_no: 8231372 slot_leader_id: 5352761 size: 51618 time: 2023-01-05 13:12:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4fb1d3af06ed8d2dd3274cc4034b3c580ae8099f480b40d6fef4507f435ec5f9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f6za0myhypasnpld367u30wwz9eu5n242szqyq0m2j74nyuvuy8sgtyp39 op_cert: \x52cb4fcb6de936a5c055b66731479c1748e9621c3d13ba2d3d75832e95488d75 op_cert_counter: 10