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 8220173 Details
Epoch: 385 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 81128109 epoch_slot_no: 171309 block_no: 8219996 slot_leader_id: 5451841 size: 23069 time: 2023-01-02 21:20:00 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2ac61715d00a65b9eeb1ee18fa64910866b90ecfa47345ba1432ea4474d4d4e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk174x3cmwz6j5meu9cwjk07484sme4zcnnu4te7j6qmezlnak9d4xqpt5xxn op_cert: \xfa5f53f432be54e85ee26c8063d1cc763c1976021c95a7ff7a462961cb0e2744 op_cert_counter: 7