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 9742616 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 112420186 epoch_slot_no: 359386 block_no: 9742439 slot_leader_id: 8484595 size: 20336 time: 2023-12-31 01:34:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcea286740fc094e0f560e97ec3228efd20a43052db0edada1b111b456f35797eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1q8tmx3rtp5k3k4q2vptjtcu7p56mrymwnsdyegfcmey4ju45mywqrwl8sd op_cert: \x1246bfaa1cf403f70f59a57fc495ae6079d70ce552bc06042ee3b92d58320133 op_cert_counter: 3