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 8260548 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81957196 epoch_slot_no: 136396 block_no: 8260371 slot_leader_id: 7779710 size: 19255 time: 2023-01-12 11:38:07 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4ff93dfaff2b8362fbbdea47a085f4dcbc4c46448efd58274b3dec1f6d74bfcaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nu68pnt9ungyrgs0etkt758zmap8nx8l5cvl855fqtmrspg6fenqx6nh6f op_cert: \xc71f9f701abcf35d3f163dfe13758584f34ba8d042ec3a4e827b4e9c7a9db0ab op_cert_counter: 1