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 9742532 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 112418493 epoch_slot_no: 357693 block_no: 9742355 slot_leader_id: 4555482 size: 30230 time: 2023-12-31 01:06:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x714d114c61cf837324932dcebdc7f92bdfbdf88616be044e21509a8327213bc4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zkk728e2535f3rdgwj3vxf5ak6kjzcmzgwnzvcksh6ec4hvuf8gqyrgp7a op_cert: \x89b21273565f837cd429e1695e8613b38d2f9c232d166ef618e57f6bb703fb74 op_cert_counter: 15