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 8178261 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 80265431 epoch_slot_no: 172631 block_no: 8178084 slot_leader_id: 4860264 size: 18283 time: 2022-12-23 21:42:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x51df363c36ce3cd03ddf729c46840910b982e6a45505d287af9743efc73fb7d7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15rp6ljeprees9jq4zzvrductcr5fqpzz92ly3htjhkw8hgcfhlvqg6y4uz op_cert: \xe4bd7f6f8ed8f95edd2a18c7f287dbafcaf5589aa6bb8917ae8ef77b8726a402 op_cert_counter: 11