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 8248636 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 81712027 epoch_slot_no: 323227 block_no: 8248459 slot_leader_id: 7046648 size: 81576 time: 2023-01-09 15:31:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a9b02cec6c15ee77d7527170ee29c961c0ca8677fb5319f9d4074ea1fa0acefBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14kzpx0v3ucdpwju3c55mv90694de9r644ssgc4tedtm8lja6msfsdzgy4d op_cert: \x4ea9ab31305e432db40340ba4edc9a93db27da3713ca73c01ba9e2c059dbe5b6 op_cert_counter: 1659973045