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 8178168 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 56 slot_no: 80263291 epoch_slot_no: 170491 block_no: 8177991 slot_leader_id: 5266164 size: 75409 time: 2022-12-23 21:06:22 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x786842944cd9a790a7b5c8b11f4338e9b4cb94ebe64c94d392a78432c1c54f5fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qhaeh7mjhpt9flqh60d26uvn6gce76z5kunvdcdk6evxxpmuesrqchcvz5 op_cert: \x87f0b813d38bcf7f65597101c523c0d1579d126d789962e3573256c406ea61fb op_cert_counter: 136