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 8242519 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 81586006 epoch_slot_no: 197206 block_no: 8242342 slot_leader_id: 7534995 size: 18333 time: 2023-01-08 04:31:37 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x173a70bc18be250a5fadd06c38cf2dbd029c619097b4f55f6cfae69ec9248271Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rpc86cx0xpu6c5vnc2mvpt3l54vemy2x9qnp0a734x3j9xsf6ecqf24843 op_cert: \x2af25d77be8d70a64c15617e0cdc9fb7d7381410a7eed5b40b00710fd4b12d3a op_cert_counter: 5