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 8266217 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 82073107 epoch_slot_no: 252307 block_no: 8266040 slot_leader_id: 5471731 size: 33437 time: 2023-01-13 19:49:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3d5f374ac6d5c288d344fdf74c9262b38a9c7d4dfc0215a7856c650aa9a7149bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xxqfg0zefcws6ahuexzncssy70003m2f9qttcczvndsr6n037dsqrmnv4m op_cert: \xe7c6bf32c8bb8b99ee816c643e56cbaeb6a756c3ac3e355d07f0eafaa108f246 op_cert_counter: 16