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 9686994 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 111285230 epoch_slot_no: 88430 block_no: 9686817 slot_leader_id: 4564259 size: 32158 time: 2023-12-17 22:18:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x673675d8627cfbcd2144679e392be80134bfd81ed1b54dec451998146c13939aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gdvfyt2slq5gjh8qw6u83t693uh5u8au6cgyjzk5p8v5tmp7qzpqztxpq6 op_cert: \x8614cbba80cf8bf8c62f0ff2b0086d19af073720d121698e8d1aa2e72ed868a2 op_cert_counter: 15