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 8246638 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 81669837 epoch_slot_no: 281037 block_no: 8246461 slot_leader_id: 5688934 size: 32461 time: 2023-01-09 03:48:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xef06b3bd436e9fc29c0f35463d264252468ffe9832617438b40c26d23fcc7464Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmq8z85vez0fthhtemge0wcxwl2tg8763gqqyu9j0zsz5dtfx07skth6zn op_cert: \x62f317624da2af16ab85c8ac78d2d7936f76828ba82abd788caa0722cddf5acc op_cert_counter: 8