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 8242972 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 81595172 epoch_slot_no: 206372 block_no: 8242795 slot_leader_id: 5359678 size: 21181 time: 2023-01-08 07:04:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7b718d030c099d472f19ef6138c953e61c138b7aa9f49432c02f5fbbbd3fcc36Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16gqxtw9rx2tsx3elm8rlet6fxjkxzzusxlqjdn07ly5npzwegucqr45mgt op_cert: \xb8ec7f1030d817d009aba59150d7d59b4003a8b1a750f42b038fdcfe047dd1ed op_cert_counter: 7