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 8242726 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 81590474 epoch_slot_no: 201674 block_no: 8242549 slot_leader_id: 7729284 size: 30283 time: 2023-01-08 05:46:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xacc1d897fe3635571f02a6b0722166d997b4347dafabcb144bc2909ac34df2f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14w0zuu0957d4fumkhpzlpslut4plmqhk0ex3ltmcxsq73wd3dv2qws458s op_cert: \xf4fead7473923580c31aaffe782d6e729e17a454dc1d64d09d447a4d29e806a3 op_cert_counter: 10