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 8242312 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81581489 epoch_slot_no: 192689 block_no: 8242135 slot_leader_id: 4560105 size: 42485 time: 2023-01-08 03:16:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xedac9ff3160c7997423d0d5373fde80cec90867c818264b73310f35eb1068d2aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxp8x97dg35jcw5y3n0xhfjm0w06lhu9qja77pej40hhl3a246msxfe0j3 op_cert: \x7d0829f89655366be949378df0f9b4ef10013cd39b44898a7043ec2bb0063f03 op_cert_counter: 14