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 9742517 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 112418199 epoch_slot_no: 357399 block_no: 9742340 slot_leader_id: 4662751 size: 88626 time: 2023-12-31 01:01:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc18a494e5315b7c10944521b2491ccfbaf6e4ca94b12416efe9a23825c238a7bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wytjcwdhdzscs33j6qzp9vtq4z9eg7s335x2r6n0mx6cskk9m76qkkk3j2 op_cert: \xebf9f51af080ac073dd868306206ff3a467975b03c6fb934892e51c932e2980f op_cert_counter: 14