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 8257663 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 81898276 epoch_slot_no: 77476 block_no: 8257486 slot_leader_id: 4582306 size: 14755 time: 2023-01-11 19:16:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae7207b84ce9eb27c6185c19ecf6a9a076fa830368259254324a1964e2ec45a5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vfz253gr7kdcyvhsd820cecmpqrvtvm0x5nutp8sferryh9zkvwswym3qe op_cert: \x6a9981fe363b83ac2fc3d89832ef067da9bbee69fc866cb9f05778873709abd2 op_cert_counter: 18