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 8172686 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 80149502 epoch_slot_no: 56702 block_no: 8172509 slot_leader_id: 4576802 size: 63217 time: 2022-12-22 13:29:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9264535ecc5d211c5ca6de5ba903d2a614660688de3f356416e6b289b18cf687Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w8xts7fy2y9nrva4hdn302wq9rmq06ptp82s3m5tqs3qfsj8cl6qy0dyjj op_cert: \x635b1e6485cfc75459b3b2459f9436852d026365aed534540b791f221e06487e op_cert_counter: 13