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 8173497 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 80166941 epoch_slot_no: 74141 block_no: 8173320 slot_leader_id: 5644002 size: 31202 time: 2022-12-22 18:20:32 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8e7bf1530e5157a9076240223876ad208b0e9dff4f15b8cb3eb0580a222a825fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tk8arggze6yrypa3sv3s8fxzqvnc5s6g6fp2ledgtqu453f204lsjesn39 op_cert: \xd585fbb5a16f99f95860ba14ad7433df46bdb91258471ee902f89761ed9280a0 op_cert_counter: 7