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 8262139 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 81989231 epoch_slot_no: 168431 block_no: 8261962 slot_leader_id: 7534301 size: 50278 time: 2023-01-12 20:32:02 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x657fd7a9a74ea57f80bf0d11be410153dc42e71e36534051571b0c0d8cabb140Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hc8s85ktsjqvwdk0s5zfpz25smg9xx4mw0qf4cp6udaumw9mxw4sxse940 op_cert: \xe6fc87be3a1f33fa5fa18a85e7f6458dfc53c47cadd1b319df0496b0492d51e0 op_cert_counter: 6