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 9742608 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 112420065 epoch_slot_no: 359265 block_no: 9742431 slot_leader_id: 8863459 size: 50317 time: 2023-12-31 01:32:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x376d720826278111db00c46b5a207ba313f580cb75debced4b1e60c72c49419fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1l0c8wtxkn2rupk0zqf6u9j6w2w7jyuppy5gjg7hjjmq6sqfawn4qdm5qfp op_cert: \x9717f66ead2e3c76377e60f5b1dfce0c4f0d30f2d1fcd6c337263c2ced144027 op_cert_counter: 2