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 8248226 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81703528 epoch_slot_no: 314728 block_no: 8248049 slot_leader_id: 5066920 size: 10857 time: 2023-01-09 13:10:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74e295d452f1d432c16b947a45c9cdff69f7955670e733a4612a5b6daa5b4c9eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1veze9zl7jypnll73uqkq7kaxgpkwp2hr5lv5cvkh4p52zdz0u34s86fjp9 op_cert: \xd0160e7420725208675700e23855570a517c8390b723363bfbf6ba11a16c4d27 op_cert_counter: 12