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 8242538 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 81586387 epoch_slot_no: 197587 block_no: 8242361 slot_leader_id: 4989634 size: 41664 time: 2023-01-08 04:37:58 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42e0acf76f7a42fb18518bc9376211994d1ab2c33c73cbc5fd1f30aa888051ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17xppz4t8889f4eqt0cazyrexrfan7za4t5pfeu4hx89xaadvj0jqej033d op_cert: \xbfb1ccfba5a3e4b0ed71f8e31c66979eff1973589957188cc7756ec610717a43 op_cert_counter: 11