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 8262374 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81993964 epoch_slot_no: 173164 block_no: 8262197 slot_leader_id: 6985893 size: 8517 time: 2023-01-12 21:50:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xde17b39ec0d1a9e3d5eeb5f16554ecbe6c58f0bf3ff52dc5fae7aa7eba5bd74eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qngzne283hwrc4xnk8f7psx5qhkg3pu7rdcu2nr0m2fwwlc23y2s52g7wk op_cert: \x9effacad9c2d79b6e5d3132f943de5c6714a6df0b6602ecfd640c5eaf4f7f50d op_cert_counter: 4