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 8253217 Details
Epoch: 386 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 81806831 epoch_slot_no: 418031 block_no: 8253040 slot_leader_id: 5386451 size: 63980 time: 2023-01-10 17:52:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x931b9f4480172289ab9f661c08565b67c053a3f81897ecae09de9f1bbceb466aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj580fj2xsw0pgvcsxz7x30hgladhhnvmv0a6j5cc2xkh2zc4esvq44ev op_cert: \xdf7775efe4ebe5d8c25a92a3d99a879a025f166c59de85a8afa579ec2d5e568c op_cert_counter: 8