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 8246608 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 81669262 epoch_slot_no: 280462 block_no: 8246431 slot_leader_id: 4555824 size: 25287 time: 2023-01-09 03:39:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa5cc203a3c31fafc29a577342c3d7dde17fdd7c3b8361d78de8d177f1c1b4d1aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wfgru6h86c74e9flucrzupv9f4c4fxq9tvv54rs942vk6hlztu0qcfrpfp op_cert: \x336e52572a78e42cf2557a8881571e94b9082d6f8e47f486a164cff6f4480b76 op_cert_counter: 13