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 8266617 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 82081585 epoch_slot_no: 260785 block_no: 8266440 slot_leader_id: 5515926 size: 12312 time: 2023-01-13 22:11:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5fa345b2525de011fb635146a17ae867b72eecc67cd62a698567857df20a037eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jsrdwdh4rrnwxdp442xxphvdhwauednm62cnqv068xf48e00a9ns2ya4vh op_cert: \xd279095db6c87432473582c16ba4e8556242b62180bc8d4c93f730fad98c6e61 op_cert_counter: 13