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 8285816 Details
Epoch: 388 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 82471177 epoch_slot_no: 218377 block_no: 8285639 slot_leader_id: 5101102 size: 17684 time: 2023-01-18 10:24:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x498d3e440648020f27189e04b2a5dd52df971743aff1027a8e22baedd03e3f3aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17azdx6gkaw43xfyvm9mts359xvzx2ezwhdd397xlvy74a9wzaqaq5rvhd2 op_cert: \x3e743a045113bae6a797f119491a812c50a49117548893f0a84f9e60918168e2 op_cert_counter: 10