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 8173338 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 80163359 epoch_slot_no: 70559 block_no: 8173161 slot_leader_id: 5449546 size: 6020 time: 2022-12-22 17:20:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdcb9a754a2d01e6bbcb6adfcc7c9f863af27c276d542f86499a7614a2e6f23ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk172q3w6px4earjr2vmv3mzhuxwpu0vp7z2gwgmyf434ewezh40q0qc60uz4 op_cert: \x57658830d036dd7a10dce791a50a8e9550b361dfcbb6286106c24a5fff887fe6 op_cert_counter: 9