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 9696738 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 111483286 epoch_slot_no: 286486 block_no: 9696561 slot_leader_id: 4696941 size: 88741 time: 2023-12-20 05:19:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x88aa885d81eca1b6947985ed4225f681470299ce22c9c56142ff3dd41dcb4116Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19h040d0e6rt9e63fljt8yq8r0edlrv96q8wc2d7edszut6z0e9wqcgrq6g op_cert: \x7d090388ba28d644f321d7766293b57510ccc02ac11491529fd4575b7d9dec94 op_cert_counter: 22