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 8246688 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 81671038 epoch_slot_no: 282238 block_no: 8246511 slot_leader_id: 4746643 size: 48535 time: 2023-01-09 04:08:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b4f844d638057057c431c2e46db07cf90b58a49190208514cd592a97bfebcb2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mk6j3jjpufepqyy0x5yj0d8x972s6608z7g477pm6lrysc4dedqst3fqd0 op_cert: \x37af6f73e09f6d4403b5f9bb5dad01782fb44e9fe80d26f36d7bac191d27854e op_cert_counter: 9