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 8260296 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 81952097 epoch_slot_no: 131297 block_no: 8260119 slot_leader_id: 6972675 size: 41095 time: 2023-01-12 10:13:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5968a815911904560ad4de906f74f9af65e7e8b953a6eca177cdbb7c762aa5afBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fwagyzrrmgnl75fgujslwgnppyah8kxscpsmj4katc5wyyd3q82qdpgk6r op_cert: \xab41706022647f290db5016343595dd05cf8d2da5e9ae975d09c2a0be4548e66 op_cert_counter: 17