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 8209657 Details
Epoch: 384 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 80912672 epoch_slot_no: 387872 block_no: 8209480 slot_leader_id: 4960121 size: 74309 time: 2022-12-31 09:29:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e8ee3fd75619db01a3abafe45d0804017cfdf39e9525cc8fea21819464f3e98Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cfgvfc8fxl43esu8evy9n6gj0nf48ve8464hsqy4t4c9e2qf3dqqx2976l op_cert: \xec7afa8b272043f5de4d1f12632debc7ef7995ca9cb9ac8aa2f2f1548bc27573 op_cert_counter: 12