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 9697056 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 111489837 epoch_slot_no: 293037 block_no: 9696879 slot_leader_id: 5063871 size: 54289 time: 2023-12-20 07:08:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c739e6e456dcf6d352543d7142b876aa0a97ba7e2c2f1a99b85157aab0e1d1cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mdxcjxdlm93490zkfta02ggty5ag6rdjjvqcyseft86jnh06ev3q3l2w70 op_cert: \x8b291ec5c0c865d52b5678baeb1f1f3b55fe969ea5c4e4350b27499aeebbede1 op_cert_counter: 12