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 8257573 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 81896373 epoch_slot_no: 75573 block_no: 8257396 slot_leader_id: 4809597 size: 50363 time: 2023-01-11 18:44:24 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72584a6f55ab4058922f64342bc569f4c2c7e420b0817c0b8649162f8776b5fdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tawdpfmgzkefrmg603n2cq047d5fj8cs0d4csce4xrxzzst444tsvwet66 op_cert: \x4be92d8bf7ed677538763bd98b8b645d7290b8053071163d42b6d60168c0e1b9 op_cert_counter: 11