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 8262574 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 81998821 epoch_slot_no: 178021 block_no: 8262397 slot_leader_id: 7005759 size: 29385 time: 2023-01-12 23:11:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb1a9f5fa758e67bbf12bedac832f01d7d92782849dafd68542f85ad08e11d28aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t0syd45jwwwrfw6jpmc9668nqxmm4lq4wmjcfyqp2ljkr4z8yacq60w88g op_cert: \xb490bdc512daefa5c5b13016260e52ca584660ae5356f28a653ea343c5f7d2f9 op_cert_counter: 4