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 9742684 Details
Epoch: 457 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 112421877 epoch_slot_no: 361077 block_no: 9742507 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 18319 time: 2023-12-31 02:02:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb5c1b27e6b926f37a2bbc83c723b955b547c049d381cfb291d6e08132ec7d6d5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xb851ca087dd3b791d683719afef0f915f0d97d4e568e74d1e3db43195076a5a6 op_cert_counter: 19