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 9696501 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 111478511 epoch_slot_no: 281711 block_no: 9696324 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 54336 time: 2023-12-20 04:00:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x49fc113700237ca2342e7c215896ada1b5ddba176a69eb050628e1738da31bdbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \x05069727ce943d7c6b03a78c2f326f6b321acb664e658003e4b1411f41bdd63b op_cert_counter: 21