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 9686594 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 111276837 epoch_slot_no: 80037 block_no: 9686417 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 85217 time: 2023-12-17 19:58:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x85901eb5e1c9000b6b01f10cc14ceb79abb0fd6ec54ef169981dd3c601f316eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \xb0bb789ce1c2cddd867fe7845684bbc304403a6c1adf717ec05298378964e3c2 op_cert_counter: 14