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 8172974 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 80155475 epoch_slot_no: 62675 block_no: 8172797 slot_leader_id: 5576681 size: 27865 time: 2022-12-22 15:09:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae6d6e25e1f00ecfc3f4f5968fbf6572442c3645993972b7bc5ce5d0e5f245fdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16q36mxrpcchvlsytfg0qpwemy20vw0ww3cmp0q6znchpe5g3ex6sarx3ju op_cert: \xdcdc31a06bb0aad1424c38a15c0f5761924cb6c919534ca44da63e3526ecb6e7 op_cert_counter: 9