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 8173458 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 80166227 epoch_slot_no: 73427 block_no: 8173281 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 35055 time: 2022-12-22 18:08:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c9fd62d934128e97cb4a79a06cdea9bba8aa0c4c84cdac32b27aa21eef0eef4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \xa3b668997a9b5334e2f08cd3c35bbe1f0ba3bc71212260099962f53880e3ac75 op_cert_counter: 10