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 8242734 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 81590693 epoch_slot_no: 201893 block_no: 8242557 slot_leader_id: 7123775 size: 35453 time: 2023-01-08 05:49:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfb469606eb8827c14712a9099d245e86b468fdbfbfbc9e9dc9020198bdbcfee8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk174uxsgpss9he2jvxrpyzp9gzmduj3446vnfuyy44dsl8xkh7rfcs03zfya op_cert: \xa61d91aa033d9742864409e5c1c6a18a42b712b8a37deee1e8506d43ef0a01b4 op_cert_counter: 9