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 9696435 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 111477290 epoch_slot_no: 280490 block_no: 9696258 slot_leader_id: 8863114 size: 1571 time: 2023-12-20 03:39:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x39f79f0fbc454232d75a7e082cf66e150c8ded5f1f3384b96481c71f806d4ad2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dqcm7pkj6yn43qmwe36d04ngq4aaxegj3etyhw72c846gc5h8dgshd2ndy op_cert: \x43dd692650bf2e2ae17aade457584ef69165868756acee6f2f34a1fc3d8ae1a8 op_cert_counter: 2