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 8173558 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 80168326 epoch_slot_no: 75526 block_no: 8173381 slot_leader_id: 4562380 size: 49127 time: 2022-12-22 18:43:37 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x248678b23b4635ffd7f82bbc3907c9af5ec8f71aaa7b9ab7be3271e7768137acBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p57alctgyg0d4r37twhf88pgylucq9vlwtwgjkxa75x29gehuecsptrtxt op_cert: \x28999b730cc031e8dbac64ff764a1fbe2efdef8ed0d73385d37e3feb0db2ea05 op_cert_counter: 9