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 8173997 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 50 slot_no: 80177822 epoch_slot_no: 85022 block_no: 8173820 slot_leader_id: 5482646 size: 87512 time: 2022-12-22 21:21:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf54f8f04cc248e57b086ca44c4f4b574a9176a4db0b8944b3a08e8895d57360fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n7098460nvs79vz0ve0p2y3q9pqgtphwvv2qcza7m7a6wj5eqdaq202f59 op_cert: \x65726e73699509be0c38f9748624ddf7d48f8eab9d891a0c187b33a3891641d9 op_cert_counter: 8