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 8258173 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 81909117 epoch_slot_no: 88317 block_no: 8257996 slot_leader_id: 4577643 size: 53621 time: 2023-01-11 22:16:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb374ea6c45cce21893da4518fbcfabcf1d7504e15fb2de006938ad062228387dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1frt3fez5jtw0hp4n9ke96mjzscck0gxntjklgy2vdvy4kg3lqdhslrtq5j op_cert: \xea5b94bc1f55bdb72d6837cb0daf2ba3fef27336001ed8ed1bd098013212aa3e op_cert_counter: 22