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 8249172 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 81723292 epoch_slot_no: 334492 block_no: 8248995 slot_leader_id: 4555933 size: 78883 time: 2023-01-09 18:39:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc53bda1688d6d1854c920247608f27528752cc7117c4d8dc3bf72ba660b09caeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk149wpky483u54tmnkxhmlr0q0z7faw8relvty6evjrrmx7tg389nsz2awld op_cert: \x685471dd9f90a8d587c7d4cdd64da9225f77c59ac4cc693611f57b9d727e7228 op_cert_counter: 16