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 8261036 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 81967096 epoch_slot_no: 146296 block_no: 8260859 slot_leader_id: 4557143 size: 87848 time: 2023-01-12 14:23:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7e3ed5443da92cd147367bc0efbc6b80f35e4338e2a046b93addf34730ea6594Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10hj5paw809p7hv482x8nkdplpjdnt8kz8hnvef7798638au89lxqcuw7l7 op_cert: \xe32bb50e5fc8280aa2255080f7776e522ae65ab5ea32eaf96db8adb80c06ccf5 op_cert_counter: 24