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 8257673 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81898450 epoch_slot_no: 77650 block_no: 8257496 slot_leader_id: 4583839 size: 38778 time: 2023-01-11 19:19:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x12d9187e04b8659c53b5b0fa84006a3e59901c3c9f0733f1c699e315ec1ff5dcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk153sdrykl70gavx7qn0vhcdsrn7wdfzxj3gllqp9722nuxem4q5jqfhautl op_cert: \x7a52c03cd0b9cccb3480c23b45e2e3b36e4081d885b02ec56c3176a6abeab4c2 op_cert_counter: 14