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 8262486 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 81996551 epoch_slot_no: 175751 block_no: 8262309 slot_leader_id: 6786324 size: 10807 time: 2023-01-12 22:34:02 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x97b9a71ebda7d1cdcdb3675ef90c1136a1000380e66e3f06b6d4c2c90abae80bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gyzze8ymsek770n9uru3yf74ktxkwvcg6lr7smdkgd7m6w3hjqqqwl23t8 op_cert: \x516f87739221f29d81aee7b00061683e810e3408f1385b600693ce5af4561ade op_cert_counter: 5