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 8242097 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81576696 epoch_slot_no: 187896 block_no: 8241920 slot_leader_id: 4561295 size: 18250 time: 2023-01-08 01:56:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xea596183e3252cc3bd4f333121a421c25df91df22fa03432977e67d82f245f9eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1re6r46r8sj4hcafey4hkud02sev80jzsrw6l3j9mk2ee33qm736s07pvdh op_cert: \xbdb49918087f88af003eb844a3ffc51354c35712cd7f8f8ffd754717fea1204f op_cert_counter: 13