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 8243144 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 81598445 epoch_slot_no: 209645 block_no: 8242967 slot_leader_id: 5482646 size: 14963 time: 2023-01-08 07:58:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x563ea8b806c2251f3c6bcff0b4fbbdd345d69394e78ea1e744f204f33e41358fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n7098460nvs79vz0ve0p2y3q9pqgtphwvv2qcza7m7a6wj5eqdaq202f59 op_cert: \x65726e73699509be0c38f9748624ddf7d48f8eab9d891a0c187b33a3891641d9 op_cert_counter: 8