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 8257219 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 81888816 epoch_slot_no: 68016 block_no: 8257042 slot_leader_id: 5876104 size: 48628 time: 2023-01-11 16:38:27 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9ec2ada80701fe62cf164cef359d2e5ada196e550fd5b1dfbfc55ec4da22b8ebBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v0d2sfqpjxdyu8przyu6r8d6e3tus2pkcreh8kkhmvxv6kvnckcqu5ycdk op_cert: \x9e784eb7c0dbe929ccb4c4e648b9b37c0c10c5b4b572b9a031b4fd0a9b743ad7 op_cert_counter: 10