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 8173648 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 80170343 epoch_slot_no: 77543 block_no: 8173471 slot_leader_id: 4559709 size: 25942 time: 2022-12-22 19:17:14 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa998dc1803928bda72f7b85e5d2120d62fb36eae0d77f0ea5c19b908d825dd1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rrf0qyyv45pu7talhcdfzk4hc0273k54504vdralnu9tyul4xspqk7d35p op_cert: \xa14b76c9bb3c44ccf7984c1c724e5e9a9144b7287db9b96c0dd126ecae48b963 op_cert_counter: 11