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 8173243 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 80161069 epoch_slot_no: 68269 block_no: 8173066 slot_leader_id: 4555843 size: 80685 time: 2022-12-22 16:42:40 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb9b4e4a475a1a585f66e8b6ff84307c8ff8943664d14db14ed841cceec8ed165Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m30knv6sdact0jva87yqstj64dl4udz07zksjr4zd8s77sza6f3qfxsn07 op_cert: \xa16b7f814852d3b984121f0d58c223062d6df0b0a69b7b94f061e8260a8a46c8 op_cert_counter: 10