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 9173173 Details
Epoch: 430 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 100740787 epoch_slot_no: 343987 block_no: 9172996 slot_leader_id: 8757580 size: 50851 time: 2023-08-17 21:17:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8390501402566383bba5b8173b008ce0875c2bff1f5884dccad133d9d9f13d6cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nuj8w5zdd09khzfxpvd62ggvt3ykc3smazflf4jjtngh3n9n85aqc7t0wm op_cert: \xa50354fd2605fd50065c9fe845b0834801c2366ed8c31d9c2cc3e79ca01d0783 op_cert_counter: 2