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 8172636 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 80148460 epoch_slot_no: 55660 block_no: 8172459 slot_leader_id: 5369270 size: 15614 time: 2022-12-22 13:12:31 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9d7e603a0888bd87e14430100c0431efcdf070dcdbb90c23d95b999021d7853Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cqnf2qhdjc5ysfp8t26drmdjr5nru9yvy53shx3wp5rqnu59ljqs9r0yqv op_cert: \x66c38d7e9bb7a9caa847ca29b4cfeb117613b356e366cb273eb4b21b94aaa2ac op_cert_counter: 7