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 8178688 Details
Epoch: 383 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 80274246 epoch_slot_no: 181446 block_no: 8178511 slot_leader_id: 5386322 size: 7071 time: 2022-12-24 00:08:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c6b003cd32230b9108f6c800eca7fe5a5b99b58a7247f0642c5a6404836e72dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sk0zwdm0lu50432n7js628zwwj0ttqaa6luyuwf5dklgsmq4vn4scmvjxz op_cert: \x97df0be40439b05d44ff078b39c735fc29cada5d99ef55824d96dd8b37b4f411 op_cert_counter: 8