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 9696860 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 111485660 epoch_slot_no: 288860 block_no: 9696683 slot_leader_id: 7903459 size: 84242 time: 2023-12-20 05:59:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x578639c902486e0c4853b7cbf86f27647599e019ecc106df1765691e17f4a7c6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z7jkgvsrrxj34y6w87qgqnuy5r2yennekn5pqzza0k7g2ux6mj3s3c5th5 op_cert: \xf4960356c0b0e04fa7fb55c98d5b5c1fc2d3c01195ec5e745624bc4b7abf5677 op_cert_counter: 6