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 8257659 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 81898135 epoch_slot_no: 77335 block_no: 8257482 slot_leader_id: 5086944 size: 29025 time: 2023-01-11 19:13:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2ac788cc9ac5367a28be1a7624853bea6066d8d4e41ba024568d6b8f405fd08eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yrw00a2knfxwg6ju5fqu4pqnxkc4uedn35u43y3mcgm9m99s626qgugm8p op_cert: \x178c30916ecd479f12d5a21921ece7eb1225a66bb5fe5121976c8e400dde2433 op_cert_counter: 13