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 8246515 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 81667461 epoch_slot_no: 278661 block_no: 8246338 slot_leader_id: 5281457 size: 21197 time: 2023-01-09 03:09:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0a9d7380e541118666d4662d8e38676f7893b63546b0e948b17b721e4734f17aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zej2cp22hvyndrd97pejcxw7ekcpz84cxhqd9nk4a8t535fgx3xs9x4ayc op_cert: \x944f513bcb494f146cb2741811dd0415f2c469d4e6388547d62bce32a3481ba2 op_cert_counter: 8