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 8248116 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 81701283 epoch_slot_no: 312483 block_no: 8247939 slot_leader_id: 6985545 size: 22706 time: 2023-01-09 12:32:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x872185d74465d8900af453ec6009b63ea52566e9e35925d8f294885f8946788bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g74q9ncxvv25y0xqmh9uv9scgrp4ky6z9a545ynka6lnhhgxwapsg2guga op_cert: \x54e1d2a9c708ac1b5cd887b89b6f0a4a44eff6adbe3a025886d48f9aa7f435fb op_cert_counter: 4