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 8173581 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 80168827 epoch_slot_no: 76027 block_no: 8173404 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 51280 time: 2022-12-22 18:51:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x08aed937de2fdeb8386aa27cf57bf3c0f1d7580081c56209117bfb229e291c7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \x96bf24d2e878596f0f35a6ef7effa0351b68116b685044a163d0d78a41fae2e0 op_cert_counter: 12