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 8286163 Details
Epoch: 388 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 82478672 epoch_slot_no: 225872 block_no: 8285986 slot_leader_id: 5087835 size: 55369 time: 2023-01-18 12:29:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf139570b56dff7d9316d2ec0dd3005540ff74559e365494b9eb79eb2a3f5b5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wtk5t3ejp3t6s8sewz43e5kj8md4lqr03zzulhwnaz6urgk5x23sc8jhca op_cert: \x599238b86be80c7f04c3c8b9ca528e3dd74302096fcad863c069d0eeae78bcff op_cert_counter: 13