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 9696513 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 111478766 epoch_slot_no: 281966 block_no: 9696336 slot_leader_id: 7834434 size: 84690 time: 2023-12-20 04:04:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xec9053cc91bfab5e74c2cd37cca3077dcba6f102490f17ce4415178838c8cf4bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kaahl59efdcflm00jnprk03far7ac634qwk8447lgdmz2gmuuezsgcshkc op_cert: \xec2364521c1322198f11ccf34a624162a9a2b0355581d8e617e94aa301c26351 op_cert_counter: 19