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 8243356 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 81602397 epoch_slot_no: 213597 block_no: 8243179 slot_leader_id: 4641293 size: 16978 time: 2023-01-08 09:04:48 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaae419c82f8157ae7c4dc802d979f50311cab479f957466c6a3f6bf13bcddea5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16j5ga0zrvcs7vsuc9dnslgxrm3nkfd3z7qxhuz0gynshy0n4420sxl4y2h op_cert: \x8a949aad58641e5f4d776395ff562651318a787d5f77d10cc8aaccdd8197ca8b op_cert_counter: 14