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 8241697 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 81568222 epoch_slot_no: 179422 block_no: 8241520 slot_leader_id: 5180221 size: 42916 time: 2023-01-07 23:35:13 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xace1dccb602adbdca73643a16faeda596985e673454e604c70ad94ea57a372f0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t4mtkf5jkn7wzzdx2s4cmapn3ncpjerk8vste6xfgs7966xttccsnu2hz6 op_cert: \x3c377c0bfe77126364bd453d104fae627c667462a3db4ab52ccd1fc054269169 op_cert_counter: 8