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 8242993 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 81595572 epoch_slot_no: 206772 block_no: 8242816 slot_leader_id: 4569295 size: 44149 time: 2023-01-08 07:11:03 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x88d58666b4a863c9239ca1116f7a3d92b0a0d3ba16f806035220abd01e9a5e7fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qnxv35jp3y5k63pgrd0pxvyl9dpj44hsd9vdrs530m0rfwfs42wq395qjz op_cert: \xf69ae9b5373cd9c4fc33a87214713771299e8a33f3713983757f6ec80230da7a op_cert_counter: 21