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 8257321 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 81890918 epoch_slot_no: 70118 block_no: 8257144 slot_leader_id: 5609033 size: 78896 time: 2023-01-11 17:13:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4b813d753e36faed7097c56f5a8155d0572978d2235edbbb1eb7ed5e8477a09eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ex02ql6j98agcepmrxpqrkkhmvehpwjv90n50m0d7xgfuqpxn6sq8y9jsf op_cert: \xaea0fd7ac918629c00ef30cb84ff0050c1bad5d7ef9b7121641e002c95d5ef83 op_cert_counter: 11