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 9696489 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 111478346 epoch_slot_no: 281546 block_no: 9696312 slot_leader_id: 4573799 size: 44390 time: 2023-12-20 03:57:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf44a438313b552ec2cd282cb017a254a9bf0c28ec5b4adff6e5b258f7c48acf2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p0r0r8enaa9fv40zc0hm9q92lpwd4glg2lgm7tg67zxaf5v075ssg8328n op_cert: \xd38b7be1c13a86b2298dc2e405045db5e41419c92df56be38eee81852d91a005 op_cert_counter: 18