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 8177659 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 80253340 epoch_slot_no: 160540 block_no: 8177482 slot_leader_id: 6656578 size: 22554 time: 2022-12-23 18:20:31 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c3b287fb574b4813ec1e2988b6a38c5ddd391ce330ee04cf6b5a933666fea3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16a47k3dvpxeq72s28wr3kuhsh3taqkxuard3a3hckl04mallylxqcadnjg op_cert: \xbeb6a21bdc5e904dcf4d509673151e220f97ef3847b6cee675aea708cbe5622f op_cert_counter: 4