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 8257746 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81899981 epoch_slot_no: 79181 block_no: 8257569 slot_leader_id: 5493217 size: 11676 time: 2023-01-11 19:44:32 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x542f5aed9d660fc46d5896f8b3fe982dbf895876261159af935ff08064f823c5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cakf4klps5d980wm8657zsmnen8rcwvka0nn3ug0eg0fj2ym4chqvn04ed op_cert: \x1f23c21b58d88f94e384d8a5def9dd8871562b3cd86cd0ba33e5ee03d48811f4 op_cert_counter: 7