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 8173834 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 80174217 epoch_slot_no: 81417 block_no: 8173657 slot_leader_id: 5152386 size: 9055 time: 2022-12-22 20:21:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xefcf11f6fb91f0e8b1bacb9fa0d58d097534c7781e02f453b353e5898125f9a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vr20la7r92sf2j8pgk5mv0l0vaqu2twe7mxqm69hh2zu855pa23s049qnc op_cert: \xb101aed948844983f48ec21ce90e06dab6ea673b55f633a5b3b46e1078506d6d op_cert_counter: 12