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 9817617 Details
Epoch: 461 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 113967760 epoch_slot_no: 178960 block_no: 9817440 slot_leader_id: 9198406 size: 83330 time: 2024-01-17 23:27:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbbdd89541c2fd90ec80847e8e871690b8dd120c9cd44eac1b296d276f65ac83aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tjyx3gv9tmredfh0ckevzkytzhzau892er8mwk0uy2qhxc8zvueskl5raq op_cert: \x0703dda569330d242e348e08cf5fd86d3019244405910c9be260714151f30c0d op_cert_counter: 2