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 9721204 Details
Epoch: 456 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 111986009 epoch_slot_no: 357209 block_no: 9721027 slot_leader_id: 8404251 size: 13280 time: 2023-12-26 00:58:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbc5631cbed30402ff9eaade63843b751aaf51a2b3bfa4ceec3721736c6a07cb1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wn4cq98ah5j9jkty47538y0pc3phy9jjvqtkkdgkuup5qgnddsgqyr6h8t op_cert: \x8877ad340036a9f76a977a389d08460b9076d8d02ad3196768631516e984922e op_cert_counter: 4