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 8173284 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 80162139 epoch_slot_no: 69339 block_no: 8173107 slot_leader_id: 7376972 size: 68298 time: 2022-12-22 17:00:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18bf3123c1cb1ddd8a37ae1bdce04e052b1143c5e15034ae8f3a33d9542b1d3cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qwrpx8sujdrfea30lh8uapmqtfle2u94eyuxj6g56h4sfumw90wsk7424w op_cert: \x6d77e95103d1aa6e1b07b1dc99cf1770e00eeaac93b95cd9af1f98c17f721556 op_cert_counter: 1659975351