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 8248509 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 81709517 epoch_slot_no: 320717 block_no: 8248332 slot_leader_id: 4555499 size: 86861 time: 2023-01-09 14:50:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc22cc2e21a514794c01b3d0f58e568c5fa8e4cb85bdf36edeb68333d3f3cdbd7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17ltssr2yxf2j6ktqkhd3sgxedjna205ce9qp5djyvfa639hhux4qj73fzv op_cert: \x1b002218c4e4c7bd542194d383777d5f8b893a7bd8497a39d282e04196a67e2c op_cert_counter: 16