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 8173611 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 80169464 epoch_slot_no: 76664 block_no: 8173434 slot_leader_id: 7779710 size: 29314 time: 2022-12-22 19:02:35 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x12ec6110789207c1019bb072cefc14e0c0f040cd70ec83e509ba8257ae854fb3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nu68pnt9ungyrgs0etkt758zmap8nx8l5cvl855fqtmrspg6fenqx6nh6f op_cert: \xc71f9f701abcf35d3f163dfe13758584f34ba8d042ec3a4e827b4e9c7a9db0ab op_cert_counter: 1