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 8243873 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 81612669 epoch_slot_no: 223869 block_no: 8243696 slot_leader_id: 4588020 size: 65864 time: 2023-01-08 11:56:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c647ae7ef07ea4b4da33026c79b38469618f499adf39a85f48fe20b4522d054Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v38ah9nkpaw4799796l5ypvdyrusx8pedyktw4srzj3fc8ksa40sl0vmvd op_cert: \xf902dada23a3200e354efd6ec9ee714da893e604711d80c944b1de4fd698a515 op_cert_counter: 21