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 8244697 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 81629677 epoch_slot_no: 240877 block_no: 8244520 slot_leader_id: 7582145 size: 21143 time: 2023-01-08 16:39:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x148422f8e365fadbc6fd88c730032f6e58a2c3d812d0f21b3308bb6db0b23bf6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk164a40k2d95tya0anuexurrk6cvv4umnyt8ctwr8h30qfa97yf2gsjmu92s op_cert: \xe74dce2a259b5098f0ec71699934636669f76812ca7f0afcdb59baa92d504f1d op_cert_counter: 2