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 8261574 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 81977816 epoch_slot_no: 157016 block_no: 8261397 slot_leader_id: 5688135 size: 50454 time: 2023-01-12 17:21:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1a46a1f4134acd9225608e16592ea40383d35b4ac63e04eba068e678e70a3e8dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ckvw7v2qd0d2ksjg9cltds27cr5wymncw40gudam5xzkrmjy8vvsyg4525 op_cert: \x738c7638ffcdf43a0c70598961dabbc4ed863dbeb62c6366048f0343676bb9ff op_cert_counter: 10