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 8217862 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 81081809 epoch_slot_no: 125009 block_no: 8217685 slot_leader_id: 4581221 size: 15187 time: 2023-01-02 08:28:20 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8d3a90ca148fe7bd45728a0ec9f44ddb0f018c4ad7d23f5e3bbd9376f41c488Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqmks9nnl8er83vfpzcdfnw59azlsnmghwcv3umg2uh9g83u58uqnrtmn2 op_cert: \x24c572ab93bcde898ad4e37ede6ad86e56979ac7fc96b2cdd7f8c8734a7530d5 op_cert_counter: 10