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 8172323 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 80141976 epoch_slot_no: 49176 block_no: 8172146 slot_leader_id: 5051550 size: 13238 time: 2022-12-22 11:24:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17b78a45123f45fd9f74a57c3ef6b113944045c9ba8762039a87fe940e0a8ecbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19k8v3502qlrgvu7m2d3626xltyzwl27appag5kt6dd39m8vlptlquzuk09 op_cert: \x1edd19b954bc522e1305ef98cdef79e37e040d49376855a696a5f9519ede9025 op_cert_counter: 10