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 8173722 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 80172145 epoch_slot_no: 79345 block_no: 8173545 slot_leader_id: 6538171 size: 51959 time: 2022-12-22 19:47:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2a3dc162c99166d8e79791720ab1b23f6b807014f0b0c65f378a8ecfa1fdd838Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18f5xg9y7dmfu8ep0cvscwtldqtjk5m8fud48de0z3kdgqdh0f2tqfyjjr9 op_cert: \xc84f4efbab088c426ac1c64789a29c1526667df5036ec3fc19dd44a5f680e31e op_cert_counter: 8