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 8173294 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 80162256 epoch_slot_no: 69456 block_no: 8173117 slot_leader_id: 5331941 size: 31347 time: 2022-12-22 17:02:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc1872269d078b0bf1f75ec6fe967c3ca4a1deb3bcd30090a02f153c9fbaa7161Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18sdd2amuyavex0rfawcvpjw2azcge6x6fnsj5cya4k7dv4vyjnqq7ym023 op_cert: \xef8fbcddc618aef6fa390203b813f176386a0200cca1b7966a4bfe95f4daa8da op_cert_counter: 12