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 8242171 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 81578231 epoch_slot_no: 189431 block_no: 8241994 slot_leader_id: 5688270 size: 86707 time: 2023-01-08 02:22:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd9e11a15ab5f9ccbf2aa22cbd4d6e2c3719de03bd36ea3407bdf7e736bf6a31Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pa05qgfgms22qvy860ggarcrwccnxv274gc7v0c2r5gvmwv6tzqqnnecz4 op_cert: \x93f0a5dbbbabcf17f99ff4b0598afa2e3e7123ea947b1b4592ff5eb863cb7d95 op_cert_counter: 10