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 8240462 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81542475 epoch_slot_no: 153675 block_no: 8240285 slot_leader_id: 4560450 size: 50838 time: 2023-01-07 16:26:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdd76e13de74e1ab3708d9e9e94512553678f8e591bf2dcf1a082d28459c0f4bcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sdzq7nyjfgrlg39xdda7ch84agcj92dcj59vvd0thc3azmhcnausr6ed5g op_cert: \xaf93401ff0bc90631de890df4f4b5ec26ff0d9574cf68ae467dec2029380aeeb op_cert_counter: 17