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 8173888 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 80175202 epoch_slot_no: 82402 block_no: 8173711 slot_leader_id: 5479171 size: 34692 time: 2022-12-22 20:38:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66680ee812b5b8884c68eca38047b7545c1f953a274f9914146df8fff0a8ff2dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18svfk8jqraqq77c2863zp40rmzk5eeqxum2r4qmu4ejxe2h6d9uqy6qw6v op_cert: \xd678c1e4b050603814e989ba9c2ce41fa05e8e489342b6ef7be6439d845995b8 op_cert_counter: 8