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 9696333 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 111475337 epoch_slot_no: 278537 block_no: 9696156 slot_leader_id: 5516217 size: 57814 time: 2023-12-20 03:07:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2dc8e521f011c4f26a6f724b6560ad329d8d2a2bc11cdc9fde05c5497fde432cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uepzy49n77g33avhwv9xwzyavcuysuzpq6du0vfcwm4r9g2p3t0qv8kem5 op_cert: \x951b7883b9123917b98cc604dcc7e4b4f83ec84d6d78a237ad654cdbfa1bd8b9 op_cert_counter: 14