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 8243773 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 81610678 epoch_slot_no: 221878 block_no: 8243596 slot_leader_id: 6605175 size: 81572 time: 2023-01-08 11:22:49 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34e46a75b1f2c60744f2e454692d452e8622aebeec3db8be1cd14cefddac46fdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ltwdajt7gx6jyk852nqk6l2dzef9e2txgrg3p46ekq3gv4yud6zscyxx5t op_cert: \xc53ed6d84faf23b9c625aa6289d2d9caa05ec4f997e0db5ea2a21a371b998456 op_cert_counter: 9