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 8242501 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81585631 epoch_slot_no: 196831 block_no: 8242324 slot_leader_id: 6588579 size: 44650 time: 2023-01-08 04:25:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x540de38fc0baeffd88cf069608c9ced795ba13892f2e1240b2fed2710b3ccdfeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cq8tqspjevr0ncan4e4ca8u4z6e882mkqmnnhfayexs6wmrpnfaskpgasl op_cert: \x15599b8faf06417599a1db1c286801c398bd12619aed7b8bff78fa6bc3152cba op_cert_counter: 7