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 8244668 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 55 slot_no: 81628869 epoch_slot_no: 240069 block_no: 8244491 slot_leader_id: 7417958 size: 88677 time: 2023-01-08 16:26:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x297948b7c5cca09b459080f07c7b3578c17732f42cf97a7ba673a38101470675Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1swv7ywks25zc4slz28qmdxyg2rkvqrwa0u5cgrxqy2llkqfskvhssdvn6q op_cert: \x39c4cb648a48aecc244b6b6090f2a25d0fb0a836630b04574619335450b1757d op_cert_counter: 4