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 8243261 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 81600587 epoch_slot_no: 211787 block_no: 8243084 slot_leader_id: 5449482 size: 81757 time: 2023-01-08 08:34:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe6b18cf4eba036c28ee0766b09aa12f8ba4e9c421952d291eaca9de02e7b30d2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lhar3jlzz9qhqr96p26ptqxm43nwwnt8dtq58yzwpcvks9flgnjqcfqt2u op_cert: \x9217a6bdf7ec28529269f16df6ba1ef8623f266b2ec378763a933cfde709a900 op_cert_counter: 8