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 8242560 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81586948 epoch_slot_no: 198148 block_no: 8242383 slot_leader_id: 5516217 size: 31964 time: 2023-01-08 04:47:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0bcd7173b790b11e22b7171c2b5ab33a2474e571c482699bc1416f6021739adfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uepzy49n77g33avhwv9xwzyavcuysuzpq6du0vfcwm4r9g2p3t0qv8kem5 op_cert: \xcbad062bf850b2ae0b419ab281c9b82aeb0dcf9b8b1080ed5c1d1fe5fb70c2b3 op_cert_counter: 10