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 8242356 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 81582657 epoch_slot_no: 193857 block_no: 8242179 slot_leader_id: 6448040 size: 40632 time: 2023-01-08 03:35:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x185cb17d80a81d0f8654d6db4eba2e032059380ccb5b67da7252e436e02393b1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d2aatk9g8w8nzfljceaq0mk7r9th93cg5ry06zxa73sxlrsvyz0s0q0zkz op_cert: \x7aedb9f35231eda1aa5427595d08966ed5afdd28bafd514106525431a6d14f6b op_cert_counter: 8