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 8268426 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 82118997 epoch_slot_no: 298197 block_no: 8268249 slot_leader_id: 5352598 size: 27969 time: 2023-01-14 08:34:48 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe9c352f54a1e67ddc8a3e1c8b6bc64acf43152c1ac4deb448ae061922d8b2f28Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a3wm2cpcmszwg6y55v59lrrv9lunr7c7fs5hpfhcwkqsk8aalrkqxlyd83 op_cert: \x4f67cab8f3bdad1cb41047596a2f9dd1e6640dfbf7844ba368d67059ea49f22a op_cert_counter: 8