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 8248558 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 81710397 epoch_slot_no: 321597 block_no: 8248381 slot_leader_id: 4581743 size: 80033 time: 2023-01-09 15:04:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5b574fd6defb0aa5f4a0e0309629479c4cda4052d080ac0fa557e22dbd14a1c2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10muay2s03zv47g7dqqqfkjk8w52a9auk6mz35vc79k7e70sw0jjq2qd234 op_cert: \x2aeeac9b604ae1ff2470c45b1735c1d126c83ec805fa89bfdfefeae92ae0ad64 op_cert_counter: 12