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 8240446 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 81542144 epoch_slot_no: 153344 block_no: 8240269 slot_leader_id: 6248077 size: 59159 time: 2023-01-07 16:20:35 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x043ab37fdb9ef4371511f880502b64a55b917a302b79d680aaef6fde8f9f03b8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xgwkd5d9thf74py7y0chwu7nuzwywt05gap94kvde8ce3thejxzspxcgc3 op_cert: \xa4dab0733b18a358e367774a5bec3871a66c615ece1c646fbb5f16ea70ad16a5 op_cert_counter: 8