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 8172971 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 80155441 epoch_slot_no: 62641 block_no: 8172794 slot_leader_id: 5644002 size: 18238 time: 2022-12-22 15:08:52 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42f971f9e6b7290c55a8e1588435cf2e940015723369929257c9ad199d971095Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tk8arggze6yrypa3sv3s8fxzqvnc5s6g6fp2ledgtqu453f204lsjesn39 op_cert: \xd585fbb5a16f99f95860ba14ad7433df46bdb91258471ee902f89761ed9280a0 op_cert_counter: 7