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 9701342 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 111576130 epoch_slot_no: 379330 block_no: 9701165 slot_leader_id: 8864558 size: 11279 time: 2023-12-21 07:07:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4d9cd88198a6031b205f48b9ef164c0c02da0cbbe62b64bd9e0c1f3c03efa499Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wpjmrtd3l5cp2ujves03twrwxq5ne4kwamksp3ccvq6078sacn0qpqgt66 op_cert: \xb9a801c0a6c15d00e29900cea3736e887571a92327284da3bcad0bf24d190d54 op_cert_counter: 2