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 8244978 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 52 slot_no: 81635873 epoch_slot_no: 247073 block_no: 8244801 slot_leader_id: 5002519 size: 83298 time: 2023-01-08 18:22:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74b32f55c6be7565480aec16eafa92091dca84f1e8a43c6e37f3b4bee18ae6d4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cl7drnpkkvd3ucqfh2k9pkq2s4tl3r67nq47u33lge2nt8e45c2s23y3t2 op_cert: \x0f5b452a39ee0bb99183417ccd38666f14a9355f66ccd8be40b71e9c5a3cedcb op_cert_counter: 10