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 8257873 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81902753 epoch_slot_no: 81953 block_no: 8257696 slot_leader_id: 5153012 size: 25127 time: 2023-01-11 20:30:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x83f7717d754d4b5f8e13b6369fc2d4256d3bd72d6d3170d27d5fb28c31746ca1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nn8nsxsnqmxnke2h207s9rua3g0ruudxlmxn6vyw9egpn9xx5t9q8pv3sp op_cert: \xf1a9232eb99f55b530501200443604b8deb05f050d25df69f614ed4211898dc6 op_cert_counter: 12