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 8173717 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 80172040 epoch_slot_no: 79240 block_no: 8173540 slot_leader_id: 4562285 size: 25231 time: 2022-12-22 19:45:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6015dce4b2b317cd51c9f9835a1c6113fb2a5f0662939bea7a633afa692cea14Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vxkyne4ftwjz4vlla756mlfqrmzwx35mkhk7d993njzmceksfp2q3kp8d4 op_cert: \x6e280657feddb28961c5bbc3391b1c2ac1df21aac4e74d0ffd18184285b6fc29 op_cert_counter: 14