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 8242157 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 81577900 epoch_slot_no: 189100 block_no: 8241980 slot_leader_id: 4577713 size: 21130 time: 2023-01-08 02:16:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd54e2bdca900c99808974abf238623b46fb0e8d7751fc01f4d4ca6a562b2bf7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qwu8m2lsqldzdg4m8ypaj5w2sdamla6p0t2kvk0amzfpc5v7ednsvfcj2p op_cert: \x0087af0c6646d7a3f943f42eb4cf4c91fc57cb6b8160683d2f3763ff2047f81e op_cert_counter: 11