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 8042173 Details
Epoch: 376 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 77472805 epoch_slot_no: 404005 block_no: 8041996 slot_leader_id: 5046607 size: 20798 time: 2022-11-21 13:58:16 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x38615f3f2a78c284b0a6a5517a1a303854bcc1b6ada9faa0646c830a95cb5ff0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ngghyylmk529sf6unkf3v7qq2l9flr4yqpz99gnv25spm9xwyymsslfy77 op_cert: \x01e39b5d1da225105cabeb15a076a5040229639d802cc2ca2de267b2c28f7150 op_cert_counter: 8