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 8258604 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 81918457 epoch_slot_no: 97657 block_no: 8258427 slot_leader_id: 5424810 size: 42879 time: 2023-01-12 00:52:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9825b620f8b30d46fde3d9c642db44ddf243bd4e5e1920276110e86dd6ba480eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qagg9aqfyp266n2snz2p7x3f8nq9hfssyauzus9q0eu29d7nlras7v9zmk op_cert: \x80bcfdf7ce3e6073348dadea43dd56cd6104d9a8bb0d06b3dfee2d874d4b6c65 op_cert_counter: 11