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 8257286 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 81890289 epoch_slot_no: 69489 block_no: 8257109 slot_leader_id: 8048683 size: 2794 time: 2023-01-11 17:03:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8c69ff69bdd5f7ae4a55da667bc1b0907953cb11158fd58a1efe6d8f64388d31Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cr08r7dmxk2r2whzzpzmrlmw83qm0ma02rfhcw7jnejaplwxknzqtm5jrd op_cert: \x5e2a42eedd7413d372151a3728ded618f8d9221fab127b29350cb0d3412ce4b4 op_cert_counter: 1