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 8172471 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 80144865 epoch_slot_no: 52065 block_no: 8172294 slot_leader_id: 5482646 size: 18413 time: 2022-12-22 12:12:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbc8c360d6f077832308ae042bcc34c03ef3d53fbab3029d8962d94cfa61ea02eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n7098460nvs79vz0ve0p2y3q9pqgtphwvv2qcza7m7a6wj5eqdaq202f59 op_cert: \x65726e73699509be0c38f9748624ddf7d48f8eab9d891a0c187b33a3891641d9 op_cert_counter: 8