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 8178468 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 80270111 epoch_slot_no: 177311 block_no: 8178291 slot_leader_id: 7048039 size: 15488 time: 2022-12-23 23:00:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x13344e38561a475105efd7f7d840518e95f0e61ffecdbbd55e07d3a0002f4b5dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19wjy5a6y8haz078qvnkgc366pmqnmvpva5a3mh0dxk0e97md667qyhecz2 op_cert: \x137bb974ff529c612948e38dcfebf569c5288962b1a91b03e4c8756396f7bbc8 op_cert_counter: 1659973400