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 8242638 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 81588710 epoch_slot_no: 199910 block_no: 8242461 slot_leader_id: 4837352 size: 30418 time: 2023-01-08 05:16:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x01e438c5fbe16e6cb24adcb8c4a819028b084cdf8d4694b873b03a3ed0c88cdaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zym4yqetzqmt67453drnq2nj80mj8zauprne3atdrwu6ypt8ny5sf5pk3n op_cert: \xf4219deebaf0449af4522cdc96a1c5b5f8934e17c0f3265c88579011b2c39d20 op_cert_counter: 13