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 8243697 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81609312 epoch_slot_no: 220512 block_no: 8243520 slot_leader_id: 7356967 size: 56000 time: 2023-01-08 11:00:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8e810b2a1d1897b3cd931889b339415f492561c05b87e79228eb77ee482913dbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17h65ynw5n8lv5mux0gn645yd82prtqj2a0f85u6rdp05e045050qawtgmm op_cert: \x7dbcd71a1d8a0cef8842aa7860ff86cc4b404403631f9194723fd5a664a51d61 op_cert_counter: 1659975128