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 8236248 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 81454628 epoch_slot_no: 65828 block_no: 8236071 slot_leader_id: 4736553 size: 56840 time: 2023-01-06 16:01:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x48395b5248506604e3b2197162fc8f806a6650d14b86984cf2bef7b2e56df28dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vzzngklkz56jwr4vgl9vxny3gkjkkevcns2cwqhhff35k26klm5qez5c3q op_cert: \x0c710df5cf736a8ea313ea9b6c004281baebda34919f4ce47efce9d720076c26 op_cert_counter: 19