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 8246573 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81668542 epoch_slot_no: 279742 block_no: 8246396 slot_leader_id: 7046986 size: 22590 time: 2023-01-09 03:27:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6bcdf51a4e1ec12ca9b6277b680df00213dc45dfcb23e917a02f460f0a81e3ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk100wdp9xpc9dfjapzv2x9eqcmjtsws8xk5xr3q5wz89udvlvhqy6sak28wy op_cert: \xcc3ce22f05542a4767fb1912fc8bf10b29e3ac0f2510db1cc96d57100b1f1a28 op_cert_counter: 1659973190