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 8257517 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 81895196 epoch_slot_no: 74396 block_no: 8257340 slot_leader_id: 6624897 size: 36304 time: 2023-01-11 18:24:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0e7295ac6e763550ed1ab0145208192a883216e8fa58a9b58a86dde82b95aebeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13gy6fqagxfwg64h8ssg64ucjgq0teuhg4qysxcqhqd729z0knt7qm5k80v op_cert: \x8d27c23bcf03ed63c116e60706430df80c100b259ef75c16f410f775428edddb op_cert_counter: 14