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 8242621 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 81588358 epoch_slot_no: 199558 block_no: 8242444 slot_leader_id: 5388822 size: 7238 time: 2023-01-08 05:10:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4011cdfbb7fdf2325b1992e3dc2df789f7b12803c32cc189f0d5af09dc570779Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jfl0xytx20ncrfawe4w20c5uywd75zzuyhmvs3a3mqd7x3xy5arsfunx7p op_cert: \x9fff4df81b825895a5bfb92a754f9dbbb515671cc538867706e0bdbbe0f4f65e op_cert_counter: 9