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 8257031 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 81885038 epoch_slot_no: 64238 block_no: 8256854 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 35634 time: 2023-01-11 15:35:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c257ae01326a97ab5422622266b93ff805ea54a705db12a757a2ab053cb8bb4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \x7364c8e1adc37dccd61941650117b4162e0cc8807be88dfef17d5089ef4c4235 op_cert_counter: 8