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 8260608 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 81958238 epoch_slot_no: 137438 block_no: 8260431 slot_leader_id: 5471731 size: 18072 time: 2023-01-12 11:55:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcf67f2fa5e9381a5b1d695642c683390816457d09be5d9dbc7555f1141b0d56bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xxqfg0zefcws6ahuexzncssy70003m2f9qttcczvndsr6n037dsqrmnv4m op_cert: \xe7c6bf32c8bb8b99ee816c643e56cbaeb6a756c3ac3e355d07f0eafaa108f246 op_cert_counter: 16