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 8244657 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81628572 epoch_slot_no: 239772 block_no: 8244480 slot_leader_id: 5082420 size: 32680 time: 2023-01-08 16:21:03 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x50462bd953e56418f329678cb83beea7491f9a872f198888f5a67a1dc9c721ecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u6f2g2l0y7gkhzme9kaq5akmyantge5qxz8vlgv4gsrp9fp47xrqyxgrwu op_cert: \x108ab9c29ebb2a66b99a5a0ad306f95e0bc5bad543c9198e88dc6a7fd6db1dba op_cert_counter: 9