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 8256993 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 81884167 epoch_slot_no: 63367 block_no: 8256816 slot_leader_id: 5695842 size: 11961 time: 2023-01-11 15:20:58 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8eeaa24dba9bb4f8bc9ec9cae638344df1b6821774ae01bf13c8472d748e3bddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19wf0pkzag93r9a47hzn7p32mx20ygtff59fz9nzh64mevzrm6khqwgkz2s op_cert: \xf077232458dfc49239ed5da51ed34fecbfd3abecbe5050899858dda63d1db968 op_cert_counter: 7