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 8261540 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 81977051 epoch_slot_no: 156251 block_no: 8261363 slot_leader_id: 7313560 size: 42835 time: 2023-01-12 17:09:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x56eb9c82ac89d15cf3d29bf1ab2c78ea7e3a1f74e79cf9868405721cbaaed145Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k2c6mqyj645kdj0gnad5k27ys8wvau73z28fp4z5rmdx3kh0q7fsvt03qu op_cert: \x330ee780fa43a3329bbad36e4d7b6534d15a49cbb33f7604d78fef05e2d2f1de op_cert_counter: 6