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 8246614 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 81669356 epoch_slot_no: 280556 block_no: 8246437 slot_leader_id: 4610095 size: 40432 time: 2023-01-09 03:40:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x67497e60c5b4e89d28fad1f581c0df1a567778854ae88d4b28881ef8ea1e57ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ck95076g64jmctmgsyszdpgjcj9dcdjw0udu7qyjxmsstvpenf4qjpjtpk op_cert: \x577c7cb2d0ff85f26548319ef56356640a96a8e1f084577e0da625e0bc03ba38 op_cert_counter: 12