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 8268344 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 82117181 epoch_slot_no: 296381 block_no: 8268167 slot_leader_id: 6596314 size: 41471 time: 2023-01-14 08:04:32 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68be6ecb902cb77cd6ef522433e5b7824a2c513593caf8d264ea479315f2c3ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ykzznhc097stfxzqs3udw52rduy6lcvqa7mtwz83j5gf4dkskhus2753u6 op_cert: \xe71192d89be6f24a0b90a58e68edc49f6aca9e1218dd15f8ecc469bb4420e451 op_cert_counter: 4