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 8240621 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 81545426 epoch_slot_no: 156626 block_no: 8240444 slot_leader_id: 5688135 size: 20114 time: 2023-01-07 17:15:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x781f2e46d3874e8a5fd8d46d09026b3786d07dbd62fed17f3e04368ea29735faBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ckvw7v2qd0d2ksjg9cltds27cr5wymncw40gudam5xzkrmjy8vvsyg4525 op_cert: \x738c7638ffcdf43a0c70598961dabbc4ed863dbeb62c6366048f0343676bb9ff op_cert_counter: 10