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 8242548 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 39 slot_no: 81586654 epoch_slot_no: 197854 block_no: 8242371 slot_leader_id: 5568326 size: 85060 time: 2023-01-08 04:42:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x08962b49f976bd0793ac0bc567fac8ceadc7894b8f80e7aa684ee4646d9e330eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uyetyme67x7j50t2lqm6kzdxqapxy4exg9dznjnq63mcl7fa5a8q494gez op_cert: \x709d7367ebd33ed0fdd0ed18d70b844854b6acb928a5f92bf6147e528b0f2a79 op_cert_counter: 7