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 8173612 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 80169489 epoch_slot_no: 76689 block_no: 8173435 slot_leader_id: 7231972 size: 69973 time: 2022-12-22 19:03:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcf16df9ea30c19975a86cc46a6a19b187fe65fd6bf47791c3097b13d47fed08eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ugya7fr6k6ra87377qfs0mwpcee8taq4sgzl9rhrn62xat4y6wcslrc7jp op_cert: \x58a5eec1afe7a85377113a209bf89bc84f0711d0b2702afd643806b3b01d71c1 op_cert_counter: 1659975164