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 8249497 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 81729808 epoch_slot_no: 341008 block_no: 8249320 slot_leader_id: 4593473 size: 21698 time: 2023-01-09 20:28:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x11e7a827d94b0db8523afd47c18b14c9a5741c9ba76680b66a72ed373d6aa7fcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dhzcqm0dmfxtcyd9ttqv73cvqzjq0cz72dem6x2ht3wv9fu4rkns9xg4rj op_cert: \x4310dc0e755418fbe15301f2553fb16bfbbb53ef5ac06b0d612f7ab4a014c522 op_cert_counter: 12