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 8172342 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 80142316 epoch_slot_no: 49516 block_no: 8172165 slot_leader_id: 5007924 size: 22367 time: 2022-12-22 11:30:07 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb3dcc5880cde966d0ecdc1809c1367921d83ad58df9df8d67f93b231964aae8bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c8l0gs0ycxze6dstt9akzszc40at6tyyfkavh0tvp5p6pnn62qes0uz966 op_cert: \x2c114a6354d2220ff98b4e1e4d1fe947a1345175e827f6551833ffa259fa7f82 op_cert_counter: 8