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 8242474 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 81585002 epoch_slot_no: 196202 block_no: 8242297 slot_leader_id: 5003307 size: 80989 time: 2023-01-08 04:14:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdb91c217221fac056692b09f22b3b29876b952f6c2118bfc062530dce9e8517aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13tgw0f2eu2wmw25076k88jdqdd82k9sm5gl8uzqqfs7m8tgzh4mqustes0 op_cert: \x5335e93cceccac0f07a08f082de5955a08e47f496cbad37dc663cfe304b02883 op_cert_counter: 10