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 8246490 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 44 slot_no: 81666852 epoch_slot_no: 278052 block_no: 8246313 slot_leader_id: 4624978 size: 88594 time: 2023-01-09 02:59:03 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x683b39df4f4b619c6180958f6b54057370ca4fbaae6d495bad25f3777480df98Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16un5trthq4l4fkfk076vcknwz9y4ftnqfzhwdz7u5rjwqay4c74q72h8lh op_cert: \x7f78875705eae4092e59296cf53409ca7e5dc377cc00a73bd5021cfc8792ee55 op_cert_counter: 11