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 8173874 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 80174926 epoch_slot_no: 82126 block_no: 8173697 slot_leader_id: 7253610 size: 39970 time: 2022-12-22 20:33:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xadd48980d5dee8aef7d872b7a9d606b4289b28758b1ccf36c4e33c600307c59fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18flqf7njg78xasz4u9cq4satscejmqyed8xsgnmyv64dpc3juansldw4u0 op_cert: \xe68a4bc2901a841a1939a36143c5d9b90ab2bf78e05f9fd7d3407c0651d6e18a op_cert_counter: 6