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 9173260 Details
Epoch: 430 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 100742856 epoch_slot_no: 346056 block_no: 9173083 slot_leader_id: 4582207 size: 84963 time: 2023-08-17 21:52:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ec7a40213ba4773a8f8486c07b01d1143138a80141a0cea00d1dbc2130b3bfeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tu9uys8mkp2v62aq424tm3kgwthpge7feyqq2ytqqmdqy34j5tds6cgspa op_cert: \x8cd790e90c9b1e708bee35863511000d205fb5f5ac1874fc601b828bda6ed8db op_cert_counter: 19