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 8242517 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 81585978 epoch_slot_no: 197178 block_no: 8242340 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 10281 time: 2023-01-08 04:31:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a3a7c3bc1502a5a66bede02b955b2b7e8532ad0769e11d00080f3f3d4700e9cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \xfa3b48fae329a9c4f4d39adc725e11f1beef750bdd8d02e27f1b8f27f3c51af1 op_cert_counter: 13