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 8242116 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81577058 epoch_slot_no: 188258 block_no: 8241939 slot_leader_id: 5046163 size: 82106 time: 2023-01-08 02:02:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8974701496b7ce533a82e48dbc12ebaec1c8f4fafb43c33097a54923cf7b5a9fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g9vacdgpq6faj0xmntfvnn4mwsggkypq4z5m7mjc5zv3y930uydslnxawz op_cert: \x9298b27ceb9a236aefa82bf783c7a211180638955a42710870686949dbb4916e op_cert_counter: 12