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 8246621 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 81669480 epoch_slot_no: 280680 block_no: 8246444 slot_leader_id: 6531556 size: 50917 time: 2023-01-09 03:42:51 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2cccc18ff85292b0aaf8d5f7e2468e59fdd892d57e2ef3f749d7fe740f84120aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lj6u2cw5hfxywgqmdf65zvg278n60r5xlvnxn25fxngemykl495sz8fznu op_cert: \xe6d263472b3177b900d521a4cbeb48f2fc99fb5d8c3fdd1f1867aa597b2a7503 op_cert_counter: 11