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 8242138 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 81577486 epoch_slot_no: 188686 block_no: 8241961 slot_leader_id: 5616171 size: 29914 time: 2023-01-08 02:09:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x303955567fc65e2522ff3ead5287d093aea13c5706d6899156e46a04bd907d1cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10e789vyjaks8l3q0gqxzhs7mn03xj4tpdtuzl3v7lvc77derxnmqvh4t7d op_cert: \x366b64f59f3866bb4ad69cdc187aeda2c986024f9ec34331fd5a95e832130098 op_cert_counter: 10