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 8173657 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 80170589 epoch_slot_no: 77789 block_no: 8173480 slot_leader_id: 5609069 size: 87380 time: 2022-12-22 19:21:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfc63366c17d272ccd1557a3849c84fc55d565bfe97451a4385482fdbb9d23a4bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1umc4uaql3pps827tkzzwdzgrug0482utuya77f2xvn6497xye8uqflwjxz op_cert: \xc3468b0e495bb9893eee80d648628599ec64a9af6c292fd0f29a740d62670ac8 op_cert_counter: 8