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 8261723 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 37 slot_no: 81980507 epoch_slot_no: 159707 block_no: 8261546 slot_leader_id: 5722985 size: 88297 time: 2023-01-12 18:06:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x861d4d8addd96f4d0d3465c262db856e36dc751de80126dd2cc060a2a1f6afabBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jf88wcnx74jxv2q64ftaqrzjr4a5gnmcyardhmln0ts8lsru4gqqur2yj0 op_cert: \x0923ace3ad3c7f59172ba05d17ab7a9da1ec9174164970cdf7b8abc6a5da9302 op_cert_counter: 10