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 9740172 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 112372098 epoch_slot_no: 311298 block_no: 9739995 slot_leader_id: 4555994 size: 42814 time: 2023-12-30 12:13:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcddaeea3e6d39fa7582096f7e74ce5a80369f03ceb31cd11a57d916989f65afaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sv5wq84j45knwywjp8ht98y42rt5s8gqe3v3c3qzadgjue9cqepsje98ar op_cert: \xe2ede650f03ca205df9619a0277ca66523b95c23ab43cb0f743b08974e31f3ae op_cert_counter: 19