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 9198173 Details
Epoch: 431 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 101256330 epoch_slot_no: 427530 block_no: 9197996 slot_leader_id: 4556665 size: 29793 time: 2023-08-23 20:30:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae1912201cf77780dd5ddd0fb47e9eaf7b7fb0d70678d507a0c8f26dc5c092c5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kwsdcp352hd8ua5q5eq9r9m84a5eynpvryaes22mldg6629vp3uqy9w9rj op_cert: \x990274f772cac303766eb86b99652485e2002d5fbc382b23f8a6fb5e4022b498 op_cert_counter: 17