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 8173489 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 80166756 epoch_slot_no: 73956 block_no: 8173312 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 22746 time: 2022-12-22 18:17:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7ce4a5becf87df421f60756f80b7022b72f519d96996dda1fa22d8c67535952aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x89c0d144b23e30ea57a1f8c9f1a6fe3bc8e7a156c6617df9914b60d1b3970d16 op_cert_counter: 13