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 8260698 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 81960198 epoch_slot_no: 139398 block_no: 8260521 slot_leader_id: 5386265 size: 58831 time: 2023-01-12 12:28:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x95e296018f6bae6d9b819c0330d91b9ac49d6ea1324d0843f2acf0cf556da8e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19pgzfsyh5yyz8cpmpf6ua9lgwty2xpmkq9u6y3yzkghvuwe63egqjfaerv op_cert: \x6fafcf052636e82ed68b7c6fa35531cecf43ffe8ab4615e193af0e03a77f234e op_cert_counter: 9