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 8261684 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 35 slot_no: 81979949 epoch_slot_no: 159149 block_no: 8261507 slot_leader_id: 5959104 size: 55112 time: 2023-01-12 17:57:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x165f657b4f739def395c5ee761afa693b3b735df9a3bc561f90f4dbc2b7c7d74Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1msgxq9lg9jm35rru6lnngqhplytpsrjt6mdy7gyy9uvkrdapqk5qkse4sg op_cert: \x32c355d483194763fd32feac9beb5b9afe4aec103752e7405c65f34769dc9574 op_cert_counter: 6