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 9742621 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 112420270 epoch_slot_no: 359470 block_no: 9742444 slot_leader_id: 8864321 size: 81760 time: 2023-12-31 01:36:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc8d855080ba9a6a39abc6111db1b0cbc307b230931dce613dacc119762d3fca4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14q0lx2xkvvhdwy20sz5t6hdnhgyc2nkuhqpf77dr62996zk8ssqse4f9xr op_cert: \x770a8819983c5dc3cd21cd195b971acf0207ec3be49941839fc160761478c9ca op_cert_counter: 2