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 8242209 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 81578840 epoch_slot_no: 190040 block_no: 8242032 slot_leader_id: 5086951 size: 18875 time: 2023-01-08 02:32:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd8c01680f2b1d9e60d62f668e529e1b090aac6f64d99a960570a0b5999a373fcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18x0e7dx8j37gdxftnn8ru6jcxs7n6acdazc4ykeda2ygjwg9a7ls7ns699 op_cert: \x1a7a03d4f2047333c3dfdda4f59ad298791bfa6291171408d2284be2e8a3c64d op_cert_counter: 13