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 8257872 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81902740 epoch_slot_no: 81940 block_no: 8257695 slot_leader_id: 7087703 size: 53638 time: 2023-01-11 20:30:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfa9eda4a716b5b929da5b16ac47c3578ea2feb079549186398e0d529c1d6749aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g64gmdajhd8v4lh4asr6mr64975qrgse2g3qtj3897wep832hy4qx3zzem op_cert: \x974ac8f88700ab75cc52c97b107e82c3cfb4ebdfa625f9f7cd9d97e682143114 op_cert_counter: 3