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 8173871 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 80174850 epoch_slot_no: 82050 block_no: 8173694 slot_leader_id: 4556700 size: 6694 time: 2022-12-22 20:32:21 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcc603896f5040c95f6792905ab04cec5dd0891a4949007dcf196386302f39a62Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13h3fs42athsy0qxwg99u9uge7m0ul973exll0ga0g9uhwp3yfssshn9m34 op_cert: \x72236ea273fc44e97dfdb760f6f1d2aef4a5c4a54e4e17ae21e11f42b9986278 op_cert_counter: 12