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 8241173 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 81557089 epoch_slot_no: 168289 block_no: 8240996 slot_leader_id: 4609504 size: 44983 time: 2023-01-07 20:29:40 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x424be732528647682973d2bc63382f303dd9b0ec7d826c55c7199fbfc937d8a4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1973re7lsj6va8q8ly4tpedu9hr9mc28wehfwvhqszd3u48kndatszu3d8w op_cert: \x6af7d8270054ec2ad7a4afa263db76f27821f96ff723b259e34f568eb602ce56 op_cert_counter: 11