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 8173627 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 80169864 epoch_slot_no: 77064 block_no: 8173450 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 16741 time: 2022-12-22 19:09:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa435f50dcb79f619ed68e7f422139433523450dd6dfefb3ccd08d5832d16c8b5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x9e68ccc2bace0ef3b8762cb95bb57eb196f58e9186c0c53df7644d329c827480 op_cert_counter: 12