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 8174498 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 80188368 epoch_slot_no: 95568 block_no: 8174321 slot_leader_id: 5461687 size: 84177 time: 2022-12-23 00:17:39 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x02fdc435250ed1a90913c9ac512ec69136fcb30e1c2b1f31d877ac541c51c9cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pq6pgh9hztgm3enuahyt6m5nkwn87uw9thfevpwaqwh8jgzwj4ks5su272 op_cert: \x119455d1a31f4cb07d5cdbc2bf2017f1232fc666523aabe61ff7e84b96f76e27 op_cert_counter: 10