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 8261539 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 81977044 epoch_slot_no: 156244 block_no: 8261362 slot_leader_id: 4581221 size: 87677 time: 2023-01-12 17:08:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c3059b8c8fa8ba41fecb6b9d84698aa91f6433bea9149f51c12302f0ec08912Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqmks9nnl8er83vfpzcdfnw59azlsnmghwcv3umg2uh9g83u58uqnrtmn2 op_cert: \x4be302d2ab1a5656aaccd03a9cc92abff4aea347d5cf46a7a84cc3bec30b2df3 op_cert_counter: 11