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 8178229 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 80264801 epoch_slot_no: 172001 block_no: 8178052 slot_leader_id: 5386156 size: 17785 time: 2022-12-23 21:31:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa742176a949a5bcf3ed6547985c3f82d851cf82a30120c3628a8ac318d68de1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lzn59e98dr57vxem3jq5u7mpenlznjhw3y420tfjcwf4mmtgr27q3708u0 op_cert: \x3fb50811af2cdceb491b9e33d07a1305e5b19c78dee00a345fa75c3675eea7ed op_cert_counter: 8