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 8236617 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 81462031 epoch_slot_no: 73231 block_no: 8236440 slot_leader_id: 4860249 size: 10338 time: 2023-01-06 18:05:22 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x79ccfbea1189153ef8be4dcf890573e43f51cefb44fcb79e64d0d593c807566cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1azdch753zl28sn8r5c0c5mjmuye6mre6q2fm33vz7fdmqu39h9mq2y5kpj op_cert: \x6841f3eb08224b6b6c58d8f25438069704789b708b7ac367989c10fb2ff2b489 op_cert_counter: 10