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 8242037 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 81575372 epoch_slot_no: 186572 block_no: 8241860 slot_leader_id: 5087105 size: 48164 time: 2023-01-08 01:34:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x635986d05ff0c9930600bc15c00b48c07d738f0003730edc3d0ba53ae74aa67aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zygx4nnpn0yqs0wzh5g275ppjh2fudrqqwxh9r4stvux5s9xeasqqnh9s8 op_cert: \x1da68a5148288ee5bcfa5f1ce3c513fabea5a203264f17520e44d9c084c4b588 op_cert_counter: 18