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 8261046 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 81967266 epoch_slot_no: 146466 block_no: 8260869 slot_leader_id: 4588020 size: 47940 time: 2023-01-12 14:25:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd7790fc3a350477dbb6eeb4a855807a8c508c3fbe9724540bb4427de520cc56cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v38ah9nkpaw4799796l5ypvdyrusx8pedyktw4srzj3fc8ksa40sl0vmvd op_cert: \xf902dada23a3200e354efd6ec9ee714da893e604711d80c944b1de4fd698a515 op_cert_counter: 21