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 8260684 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 81959805 epoch_slot_no: 139005 block_no: 8260507 slot_leader_id: 5492955 size: 7094 time: 2023-01-12 12:21:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x871aa53858b3348931270333060a91cbfe730024f14d32fba0056b5edfce2ae1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1szzlcr9mum90fzt5eukwc0ayl67v6y48g8v65pr8f9rc74uxp82qzvxklr op_cert: \xc86ebc8238246bd56545367cd21dbff50dd81f332122d98cecb713af72886f08 op_cert_counter: 11