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 8243686 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 81609039 epoch_slot_no: 220239 block_no: 8243509 slot_leader_id: 5870905 size: 58677 time: 2023-01-08 10:55:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a1e1bfbabdd6477a8005243800a9f7e07930469cc917b84d9488395a2282ad4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk144ypakf59ccgk3n5nm8eqkfcy27qzrd2df8qmdxdy0rhfpqd37hq7g5wt4 op_cert: \x19e135c8361185eecaa4575d5a34efa5053d7ed90c954f928d34bc34cb059dc4 op_cert_counter: 9