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 8173398 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 80164695 epoch_slot_no: 71895 block_no: 8173221 slot_leader_id: 4984234 size: 66823 time: 2022-12-22 17:43:06 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9bb2fe73d6e026eae899559574501d94d90cecd91abeba37f8361bb2f1fbb55eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gewqa80x8epjqakklng3rsn5az02e8wk7k9ypexa46uwf72h5r3s2q8uf4 op_cert: \x3625dfd62b07115fd6b3e2c6aa7e94b8d51e89308683d09c7d3ccc166bcab055 op_cert_counter: 15