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 8257655 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 81898040 epoch_slot_no: 77240 block_no: 8257478 slot_leader_id: 4555470 size: 42437 time: 2023-01-11 19:12:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9bb86d67ce43b77c453dde14e3001915f482c8cf886001fa9360ddb238d410d3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v0encvmzxvrq6t7z8kcv97zfl6zs7cw9m3s668rw34vwkk9yqh4qsq0szv op_cert: \x3f78bc2833a71365020a34a6c7ad3a474336da52388b40374782eaaed43e6d75 op_cert_counter: 16