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 8173843 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 80174501 epoch_slot_no: 81701 block_no: 8173666 slot_leader_id: 6577561 size: 61760 time: 2022-12-22 20:26:32 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x00b9d55e4ec5c54e5c2d9d539db9077468f5c5619df7fee71507e978398099ffBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xqfrs3sws733ul64qne7dm57s5nv3dst90jugs5peth47kjvwuqchta5v op_cert: \xc305fd304791ae3d053cadb1803656479aee22195326acbaf2d29770a8991283 op_cert_counter: 4