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 8243435 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 81603683 epoch_slot_no: 214883 block_no: 8243258 slot_leader_id: 5279020 size: 88555 time: 2023-01-08 09:26:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ab1af142e1f9e40eaa7e7b166d8633f05c60d97f57cf2090c1a3524c17feb32Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c78xtz4s0ezu26wkkspcpyxphg30favfzftxnp0ugd8saxqnc7fsn85g9t op_cert: \x493d4a212466213a3460f46f72ae3b5081aae8ff470322f864ed7133cd4c17f0 op_cert_counter: 8