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 8242641 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 81588849 epoch_slot_no: 200049 block_no: 8242464 slot_leader_id: 4565000 size: 11699 time: 2023-01-08 05:19:00 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x04ea486e2582ab8b5403b2c0ee2aecbd76192e0d2d1062a757addf90ea992ac3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nf4ql83gqmx3v4l04dzwwlwf8xtcgt6nmv36d9847mmylrrzxu6scj4yh4 op_cert: \x7c1f1599cea9eafae870231836ae81653a3d939e6a15f3bb7e8d0b3af144eb72 op_cert_counter: 12