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 8173734 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 80172400 epoch_slot_no: 79600 block_no: 8173557 slot_leader_id: 4555429 size: 11316 time: 2022-12-22 19:51:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x55efbf35ccb23fd657cc5c641ed0439f0e931125a5b14fa417c8db39770f48c0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1asqe28esdppqc6u8sszf07x3t9wvve6g8qf3x89a0f2cvj0hqk5shnlgmz op_cert: \xf1884538e787fd0265f38e1f031ad5c25d04e9c4cbf84130291f1329a0a86677 op_cert_counter: 10