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 8173585 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 80168901 epoch_slot_no: 76101 block_no: 8173408 slot_leader_id: 5087110 size: 57556 time: 2022-12-22 18:53:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x87835bcd096f0c08844aea5337c4bfa33ca66061f3c93b23c6e3349d705f3a9cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cupe2qzylwyuwu53mgudk4ts668lp0ggcdcxz58tm6psa2k8e7kqxzkggt op_cert: \x9e44d354f7383aaf3459d16bbcb96e00a67f2146b8e517d0f33bba7600b1e25e op_cert_counter: 13