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 9696993 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 111488231 epoch_slot_no: 291431 block_no: 9696816 slot_leader_id: 4633520 size: 67219 time: 2023-12-20 06:42:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8024066a18ab082e326fee7ae4b4560780a382236ab98a4a94a7ac0ac512ee4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qtfnpacu3kmr92tyfztcswj44ee0pav0h47kmw7ylqh65r3lf5js7ut334 op_cert: \xd37ccb735608a9283946b347728cbbf521f9ec2bd4c16c2e412de3d006c844e0 op_cert_counter: 18