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 8172373 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 80142776 epoch_slot_no: 49976 block_no: 8172196 slot_leader_id: 6765764 size: 4520 time: 2022-12-22 11:37:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x02b4d5fc9bcfd73d8f3f6648d9de0fec861a7126f6126b064824dfdf9649184dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k9ac4y7rs3aeth92ajej7jlwnheqyxklrpdm86gvj75k7gq0y57ssewmje op_cert: \x6d0ac3c3ac59cd0d79f8b8bab322071f012b21530351041f9d36b585a5dcf108 op_cert_counter: 5