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 8260621 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 81958550 epoch_slot_no: 137750 block_no: 8260444 slot_leader_id: 5046367 size: 80968 time: 2023-01-12 12:00:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73a21706307b21453ae240510b9aa94dd0c5597abadc8b97ff818b6a90760f97Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c30p4kcpcqfvc4cqfhg7az8mdvzfazx6w9gfhzu7jvpva3exuwasjxn8lj op_cert: \x69bc695367a6abe2253a6412491abe00a079400c3b41fd3f2f87aa89f39fdb54 op_cert_counter: 12