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 8257903 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 81903403 epoch_slot_no: 82603 block_no: 8257726 slot_leader_id: 5744703 size: 17450 time: 2023-01-11 20:41:34 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72cef3b0e4f17dda831e295e9b9c96597069cdfa0d6c9788434954d85667cdcfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vae3ps6sd2ahg59psg4yedjs7c4hf79v6zyfnm0fk6geldal5l9qjhc3vn op_cert: \xe0dd644495916615febd82ac7a65cf1c406ffd6e58993c246dfbcc8c1dc9f2f0 op_cert_counter: 8