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 8242342 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 81582253 epoch_slot_no: 193453 block_no: 8242165 slot_leader_id: 5622368 size: 72880 time: 2023-01-08 03:29:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa3a4640e3c7e59d83a3ec82db83d80bd17682cb3f33e59ae84716d1a0468c95fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17qzz805y9v4vvpg7z40zvrdv6lke33xj30svzpcr2247xj8c4n4sqe7sm3 op_cert: \x462ece1e22d094a007a3852d9842e3c478d761b3fb71271db22f8a63a12f2361 op_cert_counter: 7