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 8248257 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 81704242 epoch_slot_no: 315442 block_no: 8248080 slot_leader_id: 4577075 size: 22969 time: 2023-01-09 13:22:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4ed4fd06ebefbefe60a237ace5e4b473358d9c04a6818dc90338b3e8ec6750b4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g0u0sks02utexc0scc5ywlmr4jw2hw2dkgq69hhpg7drz4u38qssd0kn3w op_cert: \x38c5f9cc9794804f5d3864f85004e9be89186a76566c4f12dd9890b52acd0861 op_cert_counter: 24