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 8242749 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 81590873 epoch_slot_no: 202073 block_no: 8242572 slot_leader_id: 4556102 size: 42298 time: 2023-01-08 05:52:44 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2b5b90bb0d492fcbb631faf5a3468d0439f5bc78de5cd7ca37e3f34d97b1057eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w4dsu3xp2v2rqzfz22t906sea38xk29htmzfm950egxa7s65sp9symvnkx op_cert: \x3292a75431739115f60544951f8cfab679babdddcf370f70f83a0940915c9bf8 op_cert_counter: 12