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 8248217 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81703417 epoch_slot_no: 314617 block_no: 8248040 slot_leader_id: 5588855 size: 49328 time: 2023-01-09 13:08:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14506ab3cd189ce484a8937909011dc605c12ea6b90459cd021f111a4bc693b5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zqlta879f0c8l5yj6dhcwvuckx4lg5hzteekucrw7gey9f742cfqq0hcxs op_cert: \x639b47134b15519f6918391f023b57c6648140ef514660bd43c9087e4600ec7a op_cert_counter: 12