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 8173973 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 80177274 epoch_slot_no: 84474 block_no: 8173796 slot_leader_id: 5046367 size: 62384 time: 2022-12-22 21:12:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe27c16682af3d09665ab09ccf56d521acaf8b21707c95d29de2b073a7af4d5f0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c30p4kcpcqfvc4cqfhg7az8mdvzfazx6w9gfhzu7jvpva3exuwasjxn8lj op_cert: \x69bc695367a6abe2253a6412491abe00a079400c3b41fd3f2f87aa89f39fdb54 op_cert_counter: 12