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 8178204 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 35 slot_no: 80264231 epoch_slot_no: 171431 block_no: 8178027 slot_leader_id: 5324560 size: 88229 time: 2022-12-23 21:22:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0645671527f1802e47627da1b05375ee50ab46e633c41997c9f6e9d78677b7d1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1un64vdcsmfaj77gurz8dzp8ffgxzxed958fgq0ad7nphh2dpq86scuxke4 op_cert: \xe41f80693cce78f32f92f4f282b2fcbd48a7ca1c9d275b982137de7b1776c991 op_cert_counter: 10