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 9686697 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 111279073 epoch_slot_no: 82273 block_no: 9686520 slot_leader_id: 5587949 size: 85812 time: 2023-12-17 20:36:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5ed20668e03c1e8642fd09652d75cf8b068b54307b30c05cfe3cf78d7b92d3ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dg2yn5f833ndd0zm6us40uzm2mg8npkuf5pfwptxd77l3rk9pfuqrewhfs op_cert: \xb89f562d96dd892e1ddf7f242e310b3f5a1c6b29d1d23f1117c13c4a2ecb7778 op_cert_counter: 12