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 8257740 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 81899812 epoch_slot_no: 79012 block_no: 8257563 slot_leader_id: 7046648 size: 72279 time: 2023-01-11 19:41:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e2ecc30b409221d7229cda51606bfe78931c0565b5980021f8d2804b4f2a2b8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14kzpx0v3ucdpwju3c55mv90694de9r644ssgc4tedtm8lja6msfsdzgy4d op_cert: \x4ea9ab31305e432db40340ba4edc9a93db27da3713ca73c01ba9e2c059dbe5b6 op_cert_counter: 1659973045