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 8242651 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81589034 epoch_slot_no: 200234 block_no: 8242474 slot_leader_id: 4560105 size: 24098 time: 2023-01-08 05:22:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf7a121cbae2dac645bd8e08bf7b56c4906647e8073e3a9f5a533b88fe7d65ab7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxp8x97dg35jcw5y3n0xhfjm0w06lhu9qja77pej40hhl3a246msxfe0j3 op_cert: \x7d0829f89655366be949378df0f9b4ef10013cd39b44898a7043ec2bb0063f03 op_cert_counter: 14