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 8257173 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 81887853 epoch_slot_no: 67053 block_no: 8256996 slot_leader_id: 4573368 size: 5854 time: 2023-01-11 16:22:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb2d5cb9423dd22ee3d655f198568c7b16d8db364a1a51d99fd1b9264ef9f24e9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ga52prse4ws509nah3p9d9l6nf5jurkx8j2g7fh8ljwtaj9t9ysqt9g0ku op_cert: \xe5f592ceb12952461e89d124e165974f4f4758e3f003855188de6028ece328b3 op_cert_counter: 10