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 8242686 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81589490 epoch_slot_no: 200690 block_no: 8242509 slot_leader_id: 5307512 size: 38875 time: 2023-01-08 05:29:41 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x90f8349542da8f73b2eb9904343d8e3c51fdf133f741c4a875a2041d37fe084aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kdf79qu6ghteg9d570mqjqh5c64xczq4pyp2qrpmx7k2care2g6srta8dp op_cert: \x7a3d7b982f2ab05aa70b0ecbdd461b819094d5dff58320d34fc902bcffb25b27 op_cert_counter: 9