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 8243542 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 81606030 epoch_slot_no: 217230 block_no: 8243365 slot_leader_id: 5723279 size: 5540 time: 2023-01-08 10:05:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x488579ee2ecb4f1e6226ffabb4fabe0141ed87cf0853a34ac67cc9e52a85ebf5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y5zx5m4zy7gl3hveaw2zh059mrncpm4pmgnzn20yq997wr843m7qf44cjk op_cert: \x7e55b3c540e3909f644552fcf6c7d13a6b8238a1ed37f771db1895a64b930f9b op_cert_counter: 10