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 8258697 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 48 slot_no: 81920348 epoch_slot_no: 99548 block_no: 8258520 slot_leader_id: 5003307 size: 85694 time: 2023-01-12 01:23:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4c1741c3a08a820988ca1bd8a5e96516b242b9d3a10aef6b73a57dc679c2ccabBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13tgw0f2eu2wmw25076k88jdqdd82k9sm5gl8uzqqfs7m8tgzh4mqustes0 op_cert: \x5335e93cceccac0f07a08f082de5955a08e47f496cbad37dc663cfe304b02883 op_cert_counter: 10