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 9742536 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 112418597 epoch_slot_no: 357797 block_no: 9742359 slot_leader_id: 5352598 size: 87396 time: 2023-12-31 01:08:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73f4c08d44e3176e1d81a91cfaa6549919a3bef9cd06a59e89ad2250efcaf5faBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a3wm2cpcmszwg6y55v59lrrv9lunr7c7fs5hpfhcwkqsk8aalrkqxlyd83 op_cert: \x635a8b2e7fff413f52e08c8769d890a573f76b3d8095a80947944c740495c784 op_cert_counter: 13