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 9686678 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 111278607 epoch_slot_no: 81807 block_no: 9686501 slot_leader_id: 7834434 size: 42435 time: 2023-12-17 20:28:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4ce303d4fc8bc9fd17e2b64879332bb250f98171859a2befd0a7dee3593d51cdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kaahl59efdcflm00jnprk03far7ac634qwk8447lgdmz2gmuuezsgcshkc op_cert: \xec2364521c1322198f11ccf34a624162a9a2b0355581d8e617e94aa301c26351 op_cert_counter: 19