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 8242318 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 81581620 epoch_slot_no: 192820 block_no: 8242141 slot_leader_id: 5086944 size: 37135 time: 2023-01-08 03:18:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3faa01fea609dd14841a93209d4e56bca69af11900521a6a25860849b9f2964dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yrw00a2knfxwg6ju5fqu4pqnxkc4uedn35u43y3mcgm9m99s626qgugm8p op_cert: \x178c30916ecd479f12d5a21921ece7eb1225a66bb5fe5121976c8e400dde2433 op_cert_counter: 13