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 8173682 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 46 slot_no: 80171338 epoch_slot_no: 78538 block_no: 8173505 slot_leader_id: 5063871 size: 80385 time: 2022-12-22 19:33:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x330e1bcb8d1cca278291aa09c7760ae931cc63e26cb00ba2588ca831715fcf9cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mdxcjxdlm93490zkfta02ggty5ag6rdjjvqcyseft86jnh06ev3q3l2w70 op_cert: \x490f5f90a1496f018985dcb7a0fa4f55528da41d57b66be4353e70dae1efb9af op_cert_counter: 8