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 8244680 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 81629271 epoch_slot_no: 240471 block_no: 8244503 slot_leader_id: 5066676 size: 88731 time: 2023-01-08 16:32:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x54c0b5d1552bcb752c82d6206a6a0f6bb1be6fb92ac192a3dd5b571b8ad9328bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tn22sa0azvtls9m2jyxxwpw0mjqrprgrrjdrlf43hs45kn2ky9rqv2384z op_cert: \x151add867f34c82da0b35d05c1321121344582f8032010044bcf1de408a5f835 op_cert_counter: 12