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 8242473 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 81584904 epoch_slot_no: 196104 block_no: 8242296 slot_leader_id: 7685981 size: 4414 time: 2023-01-08 04:13:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x29e425b336be75ba81ecea39309b15b3fd165b855d801a6b63592ce99f223de5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12k09rgxmqslmneexx8mgakwumk4gfe3dkn8ntta25zjhz0a4zmaq07th89 op_cert: \xb9202083f695635f0167563608d60e17d620bc2aee100195ab11ac9e1313cac8 op_cert_counter: 9