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 8257686 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 81898696 epoch_slot_no: 77896 block_no: 8257509 slot_leader_id: 4570972 size: 26372 time: 2023-01-11 19:23:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbca782a0eddc68c785befe7adc9e8b82e4962ce4a847d714105458e271431cd4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17h2w9n2e7nvwjexlykmkvhhq2f95vrxjxc2kxqwxp93u5jhs58wsrj0328 op_cert: \xa2c9f2682d9c3ce778446de65f3dc5aa5176e25bbf15c2b540b353fbd1b1a41f op_cert_counter: 14