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 8173408 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 56 slot_no: 80164958 epoch_slot_no: 72158 block_no: 8173231 slot_leader_id: 5152538 size: 88178 time: 2022-12-22 17:47:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a20f7c50ca3f597711e8bf69f420857f4e722f82ad25c144373b6ef009b5573Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xvx22uq44j6kaqanutf5wm9gtp7tcv7aztz2505pjlrrpfdygqqz7fh8r op_cert: \x28fb423591b9b47372da310de2e7df73b0174dbf5ba9eb2b3d2d5da947b21cbb op_cert_counter: 12