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 8257505 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 81895093 epoch_slot_no: 74293 block_no: 8257328 slot_leader_id: 5046367 size: 42302 time: 2023-01-11 18:23:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x96db601f30a5e5d8c271d969a74fe399cd76a3199da1606372520a1194595f7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c30p4kcpcqfvc4cqfhg7az8mdvzfazx6w9gfhzu7jvpva3exuwasjxn8lj op_cert: \x69bc695367a6abe2253a6412491abe00a079400c3b41fd3f2f87aa89f39fdb54 op_cert_counter: 12