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 8257562 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 81896091 epoch_slot_no: 75291 block_no: 8257385 slot_leader_id: 5046367 size: 1251 time: 2023-01-11 18:39:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ba52b06f5b7964cd3d317c628d70cd7372dcea0e11e901c7750187a53c3cb7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c30p4kcpcqfvc4cqfhg7az8mdvzfazx6w9gfhzu7jvpva3exuwasjxn8lj op_cert: \x69bc695367a6abe2253a6412491abe00a079400c3b41fd3f2f87aa89f39fdb54 op_cert_counter: 12