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 8257716 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 81899299 epoch_slot_no: 78499 block_no: 8257539 slot_leader_id: 4731801 size: 61857 time: 2023-01-11 19:33:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2779ba05ce34ad8a47256fc71f72e332163684c0174cb4a814d2d857c74cdfabBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wme2l30cnp46hvvyc68gqzzke0srfuwl7vld3s7usmp4cpvrcagq2hxlg0 op_cert: \xa34dc1d3e51fc3ccaae7738224417cda3d6cba7daf35186583626117c7ce6520 op_cert_counter: 9