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 8244137 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 81618743 epoch_slot_no: 229943 block_no: 8243960 slot_leader_id: 4558711 size: 80090 time: 2023-01-08 13:37:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e1710621f365120bb908567f70ca68effbe9387a9ada22df0c1c8eca04659f0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnpprrn77xe9as4a7cv5dehdr5ju6h06w87nn4rnfr2kr2dw3jyqpcy2r6 op_cert: \x4143201ce17323537033ba2322f478c91e7feb7f7a91addb06fc62fdaaca7571 op_cert_counter: 11