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 8242688 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 81589549 epoch_slot_no: 200749 block_no: 8242511 slot_leader_id: 6436344 size: 53118 time: 2023-01-08 05:30:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe48a8fbc1179fd70e8e799ab87ad6796a7a5815b3fb7412718c2c6fee58969a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x4nxqe8s3rwh6u5fx9hss2865v28n54y6neluqxa8z9cqdtmk6qs45p53h op_cert: \x08f0586c6f37ef1190848c08e530bc9c6f48837824cdf81fae14b55a60a0c060 op_cert_counter: 5