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 8246496 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 81666957 epoch_slot_no: 278157 block_no: 8246319 slot_leader_id: 4985325 size: 47793 time: 2023-01-09 03:00:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5dd20209fad86e812cb72893798ad54bd97ed383dc3fa7bec820cfed91ca6a6bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk104ph0tayutj52je952fk2wrwa88qn4d4989wf79a44zdmyswj6hs47wg25 op_cert: \xd0f61dd29be7ee59594eb2b44c10b5600ef728218de6b6d50610e678abf98de6 op_cert_counter: 11