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 8261498 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 41 slot_no: 81976093 epoch_slot_no: 155293 block_no: 8261321 slot_leader_id: 5004651 size: 71483 time: 2023-01-12 16:53:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7e191c8a65f987f3d43ece66f4d59f834705680e9ed6ecce498881cba48aa2d5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d9dr3tl0fptww5r9pyxj4kafvxxz4h6vqe9kud4gx062q2rl6l8q49e4p0 op_cert: \x6866606c90f4b61dd1f21418211dc7261f3eb3f6726674123a208b094220b64b op_cert_counter: 8