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 9742674 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 112421499 epoch_slot_no: 360699 block_no: 9742497 slot_leader_id: 5955149 size: 88794 time: 2023-12-31 01:56:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x030462921e8296c31f9a46bca01451a6daf07b60669f2a0073515309194f68c1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17tc8qj39yguvjfpd8dfhr0cks7s9h084y4zvz5pg0xaxtkwapgusdnk7k8 op_cert: \x0de773f2f7cfa96b4819394797dca50980a827ec1ededcf08a3a12155c39106a op_cert_counter: 13