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 8268497 Details
Epoch: 387 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 82120437 epoch_slot_no: 299637 block_no: 8268320 slot_leader_id: 7046900 size: 77756 time: 2023-01-14 08:58:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x653a7f71433091a152438aa8ee17b053aa226e41624d1abccec0fe19578c3921Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk197w95j9alkwt8l4g7xkccknhn4pqwx65c5saxnn5ej3cpmps72msgpw69d op_cert: \x9449f7a8439f200806419747303779b5a3e89f181e512ce643463566c0e04966 op_cert_counter: 1659973007