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 8242685 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 81589462 epoch_slot_no: 200662 block_no: 8242508 slot_leader_id: 4575007 size: 572 time: 2023-01-08 05:29:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ce4b125635a02e4ea57425c79959ab2017a7fb6d93becaa59068f1a6a985a6eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h098h6ypq7lrts9ms69pxx4t4a4h5uqshe7avn8s0f8frncz67fsx4xr2g op_cert: \x52948e16626819f786678d919df0108bce0fd79c9ecdfe2aedda2b8f24e7fd79 op_cert_counter: 11