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 8248173 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 81702545 epoch_slot_no: 313745 block_no: 8247996 slot_leader_id: 5114286 size: 16303 time: 2023-01-09 12:53:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x553cbcc27920cda70ba3cab30cab0ded7d02f0b63889585d9bfdc469442422c3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15mraalry4lpekm27mzld8za8lw6dvufxq97w8c8sjkuvekkkg6hqsng65e op_cert: \x480ff15a47af1c5617d00569e6f494f004ea82153d7e26b03a3f6f830acd09e0 op_cert_counter: 11