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 8248339 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 81705972 epoch_slot_no: 317172 block_no: 8248162 slot_leader_id: 4555723 size: 29257 time: 2023-01-09 13:51:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa9e83b6dab51071f9e02c532852355876a143ed2785e88bb47360f0c2b822bd3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ur9wp2srefjdzexfqnpvxaqe20ltra9z6pqwd9la20zasstztueqvc3eu0 op_cert: \x095f1be9adab96f45f27abda1ca11a0f101e85c0de5af0ca7c6be05835877135 op_cert_counter: 13